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HE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



A STUDY OF HOLY SANCTUARIES 
ANCIENT AND MODERN 



INCLUDING FORTY-SIX PLATES ILLUSTRATIVE 
OF MODERN TEMPLES 



I 

By 

JAMES E.^TALMAGE 
One of the Twelve Apostles of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints 



Published by the Cfiurch 



Salt Lake Gity, Utah 
The Deseret News 
1912 



Copyright 1912 by 
JOSEPH F. SMITH 
Trustee-in-Trust for the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
day Saints 

AU Rights Reserved 



PREFACE 

Among the numerous sects and churches of the pres- 
ent day, the Latter-day Saints are distinguished as build- 
ers of Temples. In this respect they resemble Israel of 
olden time. It is not surprising that great and wide- 
spread interest is manifest respecting this peculiarity of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor that 
questions are continually arising as to the purpose and 
motive behind this great labor, and the nature of the 
rdinances administered in these modern Houses of the 
L^ord. To answer some of these questions, and to place 
within the reach of earnest inquirers authentic informa- 
tion concerning the doctrine and practise of Temple min- 
istration, this book has been written. 

By way of affording means of easy comparison 
between the Temple-building achievements of past and 
those of current time, a brief treatment of the sanctuaries 
of earlier dispensations has been included. A¥hile detailed 
information pertaining to ancient Temples and related 
sanctuaries is accessible to all, through c3xlopedias, Bible 
dictionaries and works of more special scope, but little 
concerning the Temples of today and the sacred service 
therein rendered has been published in separate form. 
The official ''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints" contains abundant data on the sub- 
ject; but the information is distributed through m.any 
tomes, and is of access to comparatively few. 

Among the special publications in this field, most of 
vrhich are primarily devoted to the histor}^ and descrip- 
tion of the Temple at Salt Lake City, are the follov/ing : 



iv 



PREFACE 



''Temples : Descriptive and historical sketches of 
ancient and modern sacred edifices/' a pamphlet of 28 
pages, by J. M. Sjodahl, Salt Lake City, 1892. This 
covers the history of the Salt Lake City Temple to the 
time of the laying of the capstone, April, 1892. The 
pamphlet contains outline drawings. 

''The Salt Lake Temple," an article by James H. 
Anderson, published in "The Contributor," Vol. XIV, 
No. 6, April, 1893, 60 pages with numerous illustrations 
of the Temple at different stages, together with details of 
construction, and portraits of Church officials and others 
connected with the erection of the great structure. 

"Historical and descriptive sketch of the Salt Lake 
Temple," an illustrated pamphlet of 36 pages published J 
by the Deseret News, Salt Lake City, April, 1893. ] 

"A Description of the Great Temple, Salt Lake City, ' 
and a statement concerning the purposes for which it has [ 
been built," a pamphlet of 40 pages, by D. M. McAllister, ! 
Salt Lake City, 1912. This contains half-tone engrav- 1 
ings of both exterior and interior views. f 

In the present undertaking the author has been the ( 
recipient of many courtesies and much assistance from i 
the officials of the several Temples, the Church Historian 
and his assistants, the general authorities of the Church, j 
and many others. To all who have assisted in the pleas- ! 
ing labor his obligations are respectfully acknowledged. 

The photographs shoAving interior views of the Salt 
Lake City Temple are the work of the C. R. Savage Com- 
pany, to whom thanks are tendered for liberal, courteous, 
and efficient service. 

James E. Talmage 

Salt Lake City, Utah, 
September 21, 1912. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

A PRE-VIE\V OF THE SUBJECT. 

A general view of sanctuaries of ancient and modern times . . 1 
CHAPTER H. 

SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS. 

The "Testimony." — ProA-isional Tabernacle. — Third Tabernacle. — 
Temple of Solomon. — Temple of Ezekiel's vision. — Temple of 
Zerubbabel. — Temple of Plerod 17 

CHAPTER HI. 

NEED OF TEifPLES IX THE PRESENT DISPENSATION. 

Necessity of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. — 
Authority to labor in behalf of the dead. — Temples required for 
vicarious service ........ 63 

CHAPTER IV. 

MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES. 

Baptism for the dead. — Ordination and endowment. — Salvation and 
exaltation. — Degrees of glory. — Sealing in marriage. — Other 
sealing ordinances .... . . . 89 

CHAPTER V. 

MODERN DAY TEMPLES. 

Temple-site at Independence, IMissouri. — Kirtland Temple. — Temple- 
site at Far West, ]^>Iissouri. — Nauvoo Temple . . 110 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY — HISTORICAL. 

Beginning of the v/ork. — Early description. — Laying of the cap- 
stone. — Completion of the building and its dedication. — Dedica- 
tory Prayer . ...... . 136 



vi 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY — EXTERIOR. 

Architectural style. — General description. — Emblematical stones 172 
CHAPTER VIIL 

THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY — INTERIOR. 

The Annex. — Corridors and rooms of the Temple . . 181 
CHAPTER IX. 

TEMPLE BLOCK. 

The Old Tabernacle. — The Tabernacle. — General Service Plant 201 
CHAPTER X. 

OTHER UTAH TEMPLES. 

St. George Temple. — Logan Temple. — Manti Temple . . 208 
CHAPTER XI . 

CONCLUSION. 

The Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood operative in ancient Temples. — 
The Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood operative in Temples 
of today 233 

PLATES. 

Illustrations of Modern Temples , . . . . 239 



The House of the Lord 



CHAPTER I 

A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 

Both by derivation and common usage the term ''tem- 
ple/' in its hteral appHcation, is of restricted and specific 
meaning. The essential idea of a temple is and ever has 
been that of a place specially set apart for service regarded 
as sacred, and of real or assumed sanctity; in a more 
restricted sense, a temple is a hiiilding constructed for and 
exclusively devoted to sacred rites and ceremonies. 

The Latin Templiim was the equivalent of the Hebrew 
Beth Elohim, and signified the abode of Deity ; hence, as 
associated with Divine worship, it meant literally the 
House of the Lord."^ 

Structures regarded in their entirety as sanctuaries, 

« In this connection it is interesting and instructive to consider 
the significance of the name Bethel, a contraction of Beth Elohim, 
as applied by Jacob to the place where the presence of the Lord 
was manifest unto him. Said he, "Surely the Lord is in this 
place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How 
dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, 
and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the 
morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and 
set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he 
called the name of that place Beth-el." (Genesis 28:16-19; read 
verses 10-22.) 



2 



2 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



or enclosing apartments so designated, have been reared 
in many different ages, both by worshippers of idols and 
by the followers of the true and living God. Heathen 
temples of antiquity were regarded as abiding places of 
the mythical gods and goddesses whose names they bore, 
and to w^hose service the structures were dedicated. 
While the purlieus of such temples were used as places of 
general assembly and public ceremony, there were always 
inner precincts, into which only the consecrated priests 
might enter, and wherein, it was claimed, the presence of 
the deity was manifest. As evidence of the exclusiveness 
of ancient temples, even those of heathen origin, we find 
that the altar of pagan worship stood not within the 
temple proper, but in front of the entrance. Temples have 
never been regarded as places of ordinary public assembly, 
but as sacred enclosures consecrated to the most solemn 
ceremonials of that particular system of worship, idol- 
atrous or Divine, of which the temple stood as visible 
symbol and material type. 

In olden times the people of Israel were distinguished 
among nations as the builders of sanctuaries to the name 
of the living God. This service was specifically required 
of them by Jehovah, whom they professed to serve. The 
history of Israel as a nation dates from the exodus. Dur- 
ing the two centuries of their enslavement in Egypt, the 
children of Jacob had grown to be a numerous and pow- 
erful people ; nevertheless they were in bondage. In due 
time, however, their sorrows and supplications came up 
before the Lord, and He led them forth by the out- 
stretched arm of power. No sooner had they escaped 
from the environment of Egyptian idolatry, than they 
were required to prepare a sanctuary, wherein Jehovah 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



3 



would manifest His presence and make known His will 
as their accepted Lord and King. 

The Tabernacle, which from the time of its construc- 
tion in the wilderness and thence onward throughout the 
period of wandering and for centuries thereafter, was 
sacred to Israel as the sanctuary of Jehovah, had been 
built according to revealed plan and specifications. It was 
a compact and portable structure as the exigencies of 
migration required. Though the Tabernacle was but a 
tent, it was made of the best, the most prized, and the 
costliest materials the people possessed. This condition 
of excellence was appropriate and fitting, for the finished 
structure was a nation's offering unto the Lord. Its con- 
struction was prescribed in minutest detail, both as to 
design and material; it was in every respect the best the 
people could give, and Jehovah sanctified the proffered 
gift by His divine acceptance. In passing, let us be mind- 
ful of the fact that whether it be the gift of a man or a 
nation, the best, if offered willingly and with pure intent, 
is always excellent in the sight of God, however poor by 
other comparison that best may be. 

To the call for material wherewith to build the 
Tabernacle, there w^as such willing and liberal response 
that the need was more than met : 'Tor the stuff they 
had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too 
much."^ Proclamation was made accordingly, and the 
people were restrained from bringing more. The artificers 
and workmen engaged in the making of the Tabernacle 
were designated by direct revelation, or chosen by divinely 
appointed authority with special reference to their skill 
and devotion. The completed Tabernacle, viewed in 

c Exodus 36:7. 



4 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



relation to its surroundings and considered in connection 
with the circumstances of its creation, was an imposing 
structure. Its frames were of rare wood, its inner hang- 
ings of fine Hnen and elaborate embroideries with pre- 
scribed designs in blue, purple, and scarlet ; its middle and 
outer curtains of choice skins; its metal parts of brass, 
silver, and gold. 

Outside the Tabernacle, but within its enclosing court, 
stood the altar of sacrifice and the laver or font. The 
first apartment of the Tabernacle proper was an outer 
room, or Holy Place; and beyond this, screened from 
observation by the second veil, was the inner sanctuary, 
the Most Holy Place, specifically known as the Holy of 
Holies. In the appointed order, only the priests were 
permitted to enter the outer apartment ; while to the inner 
place, the "holiest of all," none but the high priest might 
be admitted, and he but once a year, and then only after 
a long course of purification and sanctification."^ 

Among the most sacred appurtenances of the Taber- 
nacle was the Ark of the Covenant. This was a casket 
or chest, made of the best wood obtainable, lined and 
overlaid with pure gold, and provided with four rings of 
gold to receive the rods or poles used in carrying the Ark 
during travel. The Ark contained certain objects of sacred 
import, such as the golden pot of manna, preserved as a 
remembrance ; and to this were afterward added Aaron's 
rod that had budded, and the tablets of stone inscribed 
by the hand of God. When the Tabernacle was set up in 
the camp of Israel, the Ark was placed within the inner 
veil, in the Holy of Holies. Resting upon the Ark was 
the Mercy Seat, surmounted by a pair of cherubim made 

^Hebrews 9:1-7; Leviticus chap. 16. 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



5 



of beaten gold. From this seat did the Lord manifest 
His presence, even as promised before either Ark or 
Tabernacle had been made : ''And there I will meet with 
thee, and I will commune with thee from above the 
mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are 
upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I 
will give thee in commandment unto the children of 
Israel."^ 

No detailed description of the Tabernacle, its appur- 
tenances or furniture, will be attempted at this place ; it is 
sufficient for our present purpose to know that the camp of 
Israel had such a sanctuary; that it was constructed 
according to revealed plan ; that it was the embodiment of 
the best the people could give both as to material and 
workmanship; that it was the offering of the people to 
their God, and was duly accepted by Him/ As shall yet 
be shown, the Tabernacle was a prototype of the more 
stable and magnificent Temple by which in course of time 
it was superseded. 

After Israel had become established in the land of 
promise, when, after four decades of wandering in the 
wilderness, the covenant people possessed at last a Canaan 
of their own, the Tabernacle with its sacred contents was 
given a resting place in Shiloh; and thither came the 
tribes to learn the will and Vv^ord of God.^ Afterward it 
was removed to Gibeon^' and yet later to the City of 
David, or Zion.* 

^Exodus 25:22. 
/Exodus 40:34-38. 

g Joshua 18:1; see also 19:51; 21:2; Judges 18:31; I Samuel 1:3 
24; 4:3, 4. 

'^I Chron. 21:29; II Chron. 1:3. 
*II Samuel 6:12; II Chron. 5:2. 



6 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



David, the second king of Israel, desired and planned 
to build a house unto the Lord, declaring that it was 
unfit that he, the king, should dwell in a palace of cedar, 
while the sanctuary of God was but a tent.-' But the Lord 
spake by the mouth of Nathan the prophet, declining the 
proposed offering, and making plain the fact that to be 
acceptable unto Him it was not enough that the gift be 
appropriate, but that the giver must also be worthy. 
David, king of Israel, though in many respects a man after 
God's own heart, had sinned; and his sin had not yet 
found atonement. Thus spake the king : "1 had in mine 
heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the cove- 
nant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and 
had made ready for the building : But God said unto me. 
Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou 
hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. Never- 
theless, David was permitted to gather material for the 
House of the Lord, which edifice not he, but Solomon, 
his son, should build. 

Soon after Solomon's accession to the throne he set 
about the labor, which, as heritage and honor, had come 
to him with his crown. He laid the foundation in the 
fourth year of his reign, and the building was completed 
within seven years and a half. With the great wealth 
accumulated by his kingly father and specifically reserved 
for the building of the Temple, Solomon was able to put 
the known world under tribute, and to enlist the co-oper- 
ation of nations in his great undertaking. The temple 
workmen numbered scores of thousands, and every depart- 
ment was in charge of master craftsmen. To serve on the 



ni Samuel 7:2. 

kl Chron. 28:2, 3; compare II Samuel 7:1-13. 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



7 



great structure in any capacity was an honor ; and labor 
acquired a dignity never before recognized. Masonry 
became a profession, and the graded orders therein estab- 
lished have endured until this day. The erection of the 
Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event, not alone 
in the history of Israel, but in that of the w^orld. 

According to commonly accepted chronology, the 
Temple was finished about 1005 B. C. In architecture 
and construction, in design and costliness, it is known as 
one of the most remarkable buildings in history. The 
dedicatory services lasted seven da3^s — a week of holy 
rejoicing in Israel. With fitting ceremony, the Taber- 
nacle of the Congregation and the sacred Ark of the 
Covenant were brought into the Temple ; and the Ark 
was deposited in the inner sanctuary, the jlost Holy 
Place. The Lord's gracious acceptance was manifest in 
the cloud that filled the sacred chambers as the priests 
Vvdthdrew : "So that the priests could not stand to min- 
ister by reason of the cloud ; for the glory of the Lord had 
filled the house of God."^ Thus did the Temple supersede 
and include the Tabernacle, of which, indeed, it was the 
gorgeous successor. 

A comparison of the plan of Solomon's Temple with 
that of the earlier Tabernacle shows that in all essentials 
of arrangement and proportion the two were so nearly 
alike as to be practically identical. True, the Tabernacle 
had but one enclosure, while the Temple was sur- 
rounded by courts, but the inner structure itself, the 
Temple proper, closely followed the earlier design. The 
dimensions of the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place, 



II Chron. 5:14; see also 7:1,2, and compare Exodus 40:35. 



8 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and the Porch, were in the Temple exactly double those 
of the corresponding parts in the Tabernacle. 

The glorious pre-eminence of this splendid structure 
was of brief duration. Thirty-four years after its dedi- 
cation, and but five years subsequent to the death of 
Solomon, its decline began; and this decline was soon to 
develop into general spoliation, and finally to become an 
actual desecration. Solomon the king, the man of wisdom, 
the master-builder, had been led astray by the wiles of 
idolatrous women, and his wayward ways had fostered 
iniquity in Israel. The nation was no longer a unit ; there 
were factions and sects, parties and creeds, some worship- 
ping on the hill-tops, others under green trees, each party 
claiming excellence for its own particular shrine. The 
Temple soon lost its sanctity. The gift became depre- 
ciated by the perfidy of the giver, and Jehovah withdrew 
His protecting presence from the place no longer holy. 

The Egyptians, from whose bondage the people had 
been delivered, were again permitted to oppress Israel. 
Shishak, king of Egypt, captured Jerusalem — the city of 
David and the site of the Temple — ''and he took away the 
treasures of the house of the Lord.""* Part of the 
aforetime sacred furniture left by the Egyptians was 
taken by others, and bestowed upon idols.*" The work of 
desecration continued through centuries. Two hundred 
and sixteen years after the Egyptian spoliation, Ahaz, 
king of Judah, robbed the Temple of some remaining 
treasures, and sent part of its remnant of gold and silver 
as a present to a pagan king whose favor he sought to 



»^l Kings 14:25,26. 
nil Chron. 24:7. 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



9 



gain. Furthermore, he removed the altar and the font, 
and left but a house where once had stood a Temple." 
Later, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, completed the 
despoiling of the Temple, and carried away its few 
remaining treasures. He then destroyed the building 
itself by fire.^ 

Thus, about six hundred years before the earthly 
advent of our Lord, Israel vv^as left without a Temple. 
The people had divided ; there were two kingdoms — Israel 
and Judah — each at enmity with the other; they had 
become idolatrous and altogether wicked; the Lord had 
rejected them and their sanctuary. The Kingdom of 
Israel, comprising approximately ten of the twelve tribes, 
had been made subject to Assyria about 721 B. C, and a 
century later the Kingdom of Judah was subdued by the 
Babylonians. For seventy years the people of Judah — 
thereafter known as Jews — remained in captivity, even as 
had been predicted.^ Then, under the friendly rule of 
Cyrus^ and Darius-^ they were permitted to return to Jeru- 
salem, and once more to rear a Temple in accordance with 
their faith. In remembrance of the director of the work, 
the restored Temple is known in history as the Temple 
of Zerubbabel. The foundations were laid with solemn 
ceremony; and on that occasion living veterans who 
remembered the earlier Temple, wept with joy.^ In spite 
of legal technicalities" and other obstructions, the work 

"11 Kings 16:7-9, 17 and 18; see also II Chron. 28:24,25. 

Pll Chron. 36:18, 19; see also II Kings 24:13; 25:9. 

9 Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10. 

^ Ezra, chaps. 1 and 2. 

^ Ezra, chap. 6. 

*Ezra 3:12, 13. 

"Ezra 4:4-24. 



10 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



continued, and within twenty years after their return from 
captivity the Jews had a Temple ready for dedication. 
The Temple of Zerubbabel was finished 515 B. C, spe- 
cifically on the third day of the month of Adar, in the 
sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. The dedicatory 
services followed immediately.^ \¥hile this Temple was 
greatly inferior in richness of finish and furniture as com- 
pared with the splendid Temple of Solomon, it was never- 
theless the best the people could build, and the Lord 
accepted it as an offering typifying the love and devotion 
of His covenant children. In proof of this Divine accept- 
ance, vv^itness the ministrations of such prophets as 
Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi, within its walls. 

About sixteen years before the birth of Christ, 
Herod I, king of Judea, commenced the reconstruction 
of the then decayed and generally ruinous Temple of 
Zerubbabel. For five centuries that structure had stood, 
and doubtless it had become largely a wreck of time. 
Many incidents in the earthly life of the Savior are asso- 
ciated with the Temple of Herod. It is evident from 
scripture that while opposed to the degraded and com- 
mercial uses to which the Temple had been betrayed, 
Christ recognized and acknowledged the sanctity of the 
temple precincts. The Temple of Herod was a sacred 
structure ; by whatsoever name it might have been known, 
it was to Him the House of the Lord. And then, when 
the sable curtain descended upon the great tragedy of 
Calvary, when at last the agonizing cry, 'Tt is finished," 
ascended from the cross, the veil of the Temple was rent, 
and the one-time Holy of Holies was bared. The abso- 



^ Ezra 6:15-22. 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



11 



lute destruction of the Temple had been foretold by our 
Lord, while yet He lived in the flesh.™ In the year 70 
A. D. the Temple was utterly destroyed by fire in con- 
nection with the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans 
under Titus. 

The Temple of Herod was the last temple reared on 
the eastern hemisphere. From the destruction of that 
great edifice onward to the time of the re-establishment 
of the Church of Jesus Christ in the nineteenth century, 
our only record of temple building is such mention as is 
found in Nephite chronicles. Book of Mormon scrip- 
tures afiirm that temples were erected by the Nephite 
colonists on what is now known as the American con- 
tinent ; but we have few details of construction and fewer 
facts as to administrative ordinances pertaining to these 
western temples. The people constructed a Temple about 
570 B.C. and this we learn was patterned after the Temple 
of Solomon, though greatly inferior to that gorgeous struc- 
ture in grandeur and costliness.-^ It is of interest to read 
that when the resurrected Lord manifested Himself to the 
Nephites on the western continent, He found them assem- 
bled about the Temple.^ The Book of Mormon, however, 
makes no mention of temples even as late as the time of 
the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem ; and moreover 
the Nephite nation came to an end within about four 
centuries after Christ. It is evident, therefore, that on 
both hemispheres temples ceased to exist in the early 
period of the apostasy and the very conception of a Tem- 
ple in the distinctive sense perished amongst mankind. 



^'Matt. 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6. 
^See Book of Mormon, II Nephi 5:16. 
ySee Book of Mormon, III Nephi 11:1. 



12 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



For many centuries no offer of a sanctuary was made 
unto the Lord; indeed, it appears that no need of such 
was recognized. The apostate church declared that direct 
communication from God had ceased; and in place of 
Divine administration a self-constituted government 
claimed supreme power. It is evident that, as far as the 
Church was concerned, the voice of the Lord had been 
silenced; that the people were no longer willing to listen 
to the word of revelation, and that the government of the 
Church had been abrogated by human agencies.^ 

When, in the reign of Constantine, a perverted Chris- 
tianity had become the religion of state, the need of a 
place wherein God would reveal Himself was still utterly 
unseen or ignored. True, many edifices, most of them 
costly and grand, were erected. Of these some were dedi- 
cated to Peter and Paul, to James and John ; others to the 
Magdalene and the Virgin; but not one was raised by 
authority and name to the honor of Jesus, the Christ. 
Among the multitude of chapels and shrines, of churches 
and cathedrals, the Son of Man had not a place to call His 
own. It was declared that the pope, sitting in Rome, was 
the vicegerent of Christ, and that without revelation he 
was empowered to declare the will of God.'^ 

Not until the Gospel was restored in the nineteenth 
century, with its ancient powers and privileges, was the 
Holy Priesthood manifest again among men. And be it 
remembered that the authority to speak and act in the 
name of God is essential to a Temple, and a Temple is 
void without the sacred authority of the Holy Priesthood. 
In the year of our Lord 1820, Joseph Smith, the prophet 

^ See the author's "The Great Apostasy," chap. IX. 
a See the author's "The Great Apostasy," chap. X. 



A PRE-VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



13 



of the latest dispensation, then a lad in his fifteenth year, 
received a Divine manifestation,^ in which both the Eter- 
nal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared and in- 
structed the youthful suppliant. Through Joseph Smith, 
the Gospel of old was restored to earth, and the ancient 
law was re-established. In course of time, through the 
ministry of the prophet, the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints was organized, and its establishment 
was marked by manifestations of Divine power/ 

It is a significant fact that this Church, true to the 
distinction it afiirms — that of being the Church of the 
living God as its name proclaims — began in the very 
early days of its history to provide for the erection of a 
temple.^ The Church was organized as an earthly body- 
corporate on the sixth of April, A. D. 1830; and, in July 
of the year following, a revelation was received desig- 
nating the site of a future temple near Independence, 
Missouri. The construction of a temple on this chosen 
spot is yet delayed, as is also the case with another temple- 
site in Far West, Missouri,^ on which the corner-stones 
were laid in 1838. The Church holds as a sacred trust the 
commission to build the temples so located, but as yet the 
way has not been opened for the consummation of the 
plan. In the meantime temples in other places have been 
reared, and already the modern dispensation is marked by 
the erection of six such sacred edifices. 

On the first day of June, 1833, in a revelation to the 

^ See the author's "The Articles of Faith," Lecture I, and 
references thereto. 

See the author's "The Articles of Faith," specifically Lecture 
I, and notes thereon. 

See Doctrine and Covenants 36:8; 42:36; 133:2. 
« See Doctrine and Covenants 115:7-16. 



14 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord directed the immediate 
building of a holy house, in which He promised to endow 
His chosen servants with power and authority/ The 
people responded to the call with willingness and devo- 
tion. In spite of dire poverty and in the face of unrelent- 
ing persecution, the work was carried to completion, and 
in March, 1836, the first Temple of modern times was 
dedicated at Kirtland, Ohio/ The dedicatory services 
were marked by Divine manifestations comparable to 
those attending the offering of the first Temple of olden 
times; and on later occasions heavenly beings appeared 
within the sacred precincts with revelations of the Divine 
will to man. In that place the Lord Jesus was again seen 
and heard.^ Within two years from the time of its dedi- 
cation the Kirtland Temple was abandoned by the people 
who built it ; they were forced to flee because of persecu- 
tion, and with their departure the sacred Temple became 
an ordinary house, disowned of the Lord to whose name 
it had been reared. The building still stands and is used 
as a meeting-house by a small and comparatively unknown 
sect. 

The migration of the Latter-day Saints was to the 
west; and they established themselves first in Missouri, 
and later in Illinois with Nauvoo as the central seat of the 
Church. Scarcely had they become settled in their new 
abode when the voice of revelation was heard calling upon 
the people to again build a house sacred to the name of 
God. 

The corner-stones of the Nauvoo Temple were laid 
April 6, 1841, and the capstone was placed in position 

/ See Doctrine and Covenants, Section 95. 
s See Doctrine and Covenants, Section 109. 
See Doctrine and Covenants, 110:1-10. 



A PRE- VIEW OF THE SUBJECT 



15 



!May 24, 1845 ; each event was celebrated by a solemn 
assembly and sacred service. Though it was evident that 
the people would be forced to flee again, and though they 
knew that the Temple would have to be abandoned soon 
after completion, they labored with might and diligence 
to finish and properly furnish the structure. It was dedi- 
cated April 30, 1846, though certain portions, such as the 
baptistry, had been previously dedicated and used in 
ordinance work. ]\Iany of the Saints received their bless- 
ings and holy endowments in the Nauvoo Temple, though, 
even before the completion of the building, the exodus of 
the people had begun. The Temple was abandoned by 
those who in poverty and by sacrifice had reared it. In 
November, 1848, it became a prey to incendiary flames, 
and in ^>Iay, 1850, a tornado demolished what remained 
of the blackened walls. 

On the 24th of July, 1847, the "IMormon" pioneers 
entered the valleys of Utah, while yet the region was 
Alexican territory, and established a settlement where 
now stands Salt Lake City. Four days later Brigham 
Young, prophet and leader, indicated a site in the sage- 
brush wastes, and, striking the arid ground with his staff, 
proclaimed, "Here will be the Temple of our God." That 
site is now the beautiful Temple Block, around which the 
city has grown. In February, 1853, the area was dedi^ 
cated with sacred service, and on the 6th of i\pril follow- 
ing, the corner stones of the building were laid to the 
accompaniment of solemn and imposing ceremony. The 
Salt Lake City Temple was forty years in building; the 
capstone was laid on the 6th of April, 1892, and the com- 
pleted Temple was dedicated one year later. 

Of the four Temples already erected in Utah, the one 



16 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



in Salt Lake City was the first begun and the last finished. 
During its course of construction three other Temples 
were built by the Latter-day Saints, one at St. George, one 
at Logan, and one at Manti, Utah. Add to these the two 
earlier Temples — at Kirtland, Ohio, and at Nauvoo, 
Illinois — and we have six of these sacred structures 
already erected in the present and last dispensation of the 
Priesthood — the dispensation of the fulness of times. 

It is not the purpose of the present chapter to consider 
in detail any particular Temple, either ancient or modern ; 
but rather to show the essential and distinguishing fea- 
tures of Temples, and to make plain the fact that in both 
ancient and modern times the covenant people have 
regarded the building of Temples as a labor specifically 
required at their hands. From what has been said it is 
plain that a Temple is more than chapel or church, more 
than synagogue or cathedral; it is a structure erected as 
the House of the Lord, sacred to the closest communion 
between the Lord Himself and the Holy Priesthood, and 
devoted to the highest and most sacred ordinances char- 
acteristic of the age or dispensation to which the partic- 
ular Temple belongs. Moreover, to be indeed a holy 
Temple — accepted of God, and by Him acknowledged as 
His House — the offering must have been called for, and 
both gift and giver must be worthy. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pro- 
claims that it is the possessor of the Holy Priesthood 
again restored to earth, and that it is invested with Divine 
commission to erect and maintain Temples dedicated to 
the name and service of the true and living God, and to 
administer within those sacred structures the ordinances 
of the Priesthood, the effect of which shall be binding 
both on earth and beyond the grave. 



CHAPTER II 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 

As understood and applied herein, the designation 
"temple" is restricted to mean an actual structure, reared 
by man, hallowed and sanctified for the special service 
of Deity, such service including the authoritative admin- 
istration of ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood, 
and not merely a place, however sacred the spot may have 
become. If sacred places were to be classed with sacred 
buildings as essentially temples, the category would 
include many a holy Bethel rarely considered as such. 
In the more extended application of the term, the Garden 
in Eden was the first sanctuary of earth, for therein did 
the Lord first speak unto man and make known the Divine 
law. So too, Sinai became a sanctuary, for the mount 
was consecrated as the special abode of the Lord while He 
communed with the prophet, and issued His decrees. The 
sanctity of such places was as that of Horeb, where God 
spake unto Moses from the midst of the flame ; and where, 
as the man approached he was halted by the command: 
"Draw not nigh hither : put off thy shoes from off thy 
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. ""^ 
A temple, however, is characterized not alone as the place 
where God reveals Himself to man, but also as the House 
wherein prescribed ordinances of the Priesthood are 
solemnized. 

«Exodus 3:5. 

3 



18 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



THE ''testimony" 

Prior to the construction of the Tabernacle in the 
wilderness, and indeed during the early stages of the 
memorable journey from Egypt, the people of Israel had a 
certain depository for sacred things, known as the Testi- 
mony. This is definitely mentioned in connection with 
the following incident. Under Divine direction a vessel 
of manna was to be preserved, lest the people forget the 
power and goodness of God, by which they had been fed : 

"And Moses said. This is the thing which the Lord 
commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your genera- 
tions ; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed 
you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the 
land of Egypt. 

''And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an 
omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, 
to be kept for your generations. 

"As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up 
before the Testimony, to be kept.^ 

There appears little room for doubt that the Testi- 
mony here referred to was a material structure, and that 
its name is suggestive of Divine witness as to its sacred 
character. Inasmuch as the account of the exodus con- 
tains no mention of the making of such a structure, and 
moreover as its existence and use were definitely affirmed 
before the people had had time or opportunity to shape it 
in the wilderness, it would seem that they must have 
brought the sacred Testimony with them from Egypt. 
This incident is of interest and importance as indicating 
the existence of a holy sanctuary during the formative 



i'Exodus 16:32-34. 



ll. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 19 

Stages of Israel's growth as a nation, and while the people 
were in subjection to idolatrous rulers. This application 
of the term Testimony must not be confused with later 
usage by which the tables of stone bearing the divinely 
inscribed Decalogue are so designated/ It is to be noted 
further that the Tabernacle, wherein was housed the Ark 
of the Covenant containing the sacred tables of stone, is 
distinctively called the Tabernacle of Testimony. These 
several uses of the term lead to no ambiguity if the con- 
text be duly considered in each case. 

THE PROVISIONAL TABERNACLE 

While Moses communed with the Lord on Sinai, the 
people, left for a time to themselves, set up a golden calf 
in imitation of Apis, an Egyptian idol; and in conse- 
quence of their idolatrous orgies, the Lord's anger was 
kindled against them. During the period of their conse- 
quent estrangement, before a reconciliation had been ef- 
fected between Jehovah and His people. Divine mani- 
festations ceased within the camp and only afar off could 
the Lord be found. In connection with this condition we 
read of the establishment of a temporary place of meeting 
— possibly the dwelling tent of Moses, which became 
sanctified by the Divine Presence. Thus runs the record : 

"And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without 
the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Taber- 
nacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every 
one which sought the Lord went out into the tabernacle of 
the congregation, which was without the camp. 

"And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the 
tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man 



I 



^See Exodus 31:18; 25:16; 32:15; 34:28,29. 



20 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone 
into the tabernacle. 

"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the taber- 
nacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of 
the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 

*'And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the 
tabernacle door : and all the people rose up and worshipped, 
every man in his tent door. 

**And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man 
speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the 
camp : but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, 
departed not out of the tabernacle."'^ 

That the tent here called the Tabernacle of the Con- 
gregation^ is not the elaborate and costly structure spe- 
cially built as the Lord directed, is evident from the fact 
that the greater and more enduring Tabernacle had not 
been constructed at the time referred to in the scripture 
last cited. Unlike the later Tabernacle, which was set up 
in the center of the camp with the tribes massed about it 
in specified order, this Provisional Tabernacle was pitched 
outside the camp — afar off — perhaps as an indication of 
the Lord's withdrawal following Israel's idolatrous turn- 
ing away from Him. That the Provisional Tabernacle 
was, however, a holy sanctuary is attested by the personal 
communion therein between Jehovah and His servant 
Moses. 

THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION 

From amidst the clouds, and to the accompaniments 
of thunders and lightnings on Sinai, the Lord gave unto 

^Exodus 33:7-11. 

^In the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible this sanctuary 
is called the Tabernacle of the Congregation; in the Revised 
Version it is designated the Tent of Meeting; preponderance of 
authority is in favor of the latter reading. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 21 



IMoses the law and the testimony. Not alone did ]\Ioses 
there talk with the Lord in person, but by Divine com- 
mand, Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu, together 
with seventy of the elders of Israel, went up upon the 
mountain and did see God, even the God of Israel. Over 
Sinai the glory of the Lord abode for many days : ''And 
Moses \Ytnt into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up 
into the mount; and ]\Ioses was in the mount forty days 
and forty nights.'"'^ 

AA^hen he descended ^nIoscs bore with him the com- 
mission to call upon the children of Israel for contribu- 
tions and offerings of their substance and all their precious 
things, such as would be suitable for the construction of 
a sanctuary for service in the wilderness. 

''And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 

''Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me 

an offering : of every man that giveth it willingly with his 

heart ye shall take my offering. 

"And this is the offering which 3'e shall take of them; 

gold, and silver, and brass, 

"And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and 
goats' hair, 

"And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and 
shittim wood, 

"Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet 
incense, 

"Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in 
the breastplate. 

"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell 
among them. 

"According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of 



/Exodus 24:9, 10, 18; read the entire chapter. 



22 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, 
even so shall ye make it."^ 

The response of the people was so liberal and prompt 
that a surplus of material was soon amassed. 

"And they spake unto Moses, saying. The people bring 
much more than enough for the service of the work, which 
the Lord commanded to make. 

"And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to 
be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man 
nor woman make any mxore work for the ofifering of the 
sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 

"For the stuflf they had was sufficient for all the work to 
make it, and too much."^ 

Divine direction was manifest in the appointment of 
men who should be in charge of the labor. Bezaleel, the 
son of Uri, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, were 
designated by revelation as the master craftsmen under 
whose direction the other workers should labor until all 
had been finished in direct accord with the revealed pat- 
tern and plan. And when so finished it was the embodi- 
ment of the best in material and workmanship. 

The Tabernacle stood in an outer enclosure or court, 
walled in by canvas screens with entrance curtains finely 
embroidered. The curtains that formed the walls of the 
court were suspended from pillars, which stood at inter- 
vals along the sides of an oblong. The longer walls ran 
east and west, with the main entrance to the enclosure on 



^ Exodus 25:1-9. For details of the building and furnishings 
of the Tabernacle of the Congregation see Exodus chapters 
25-31, more particularly chapter 25, which account is in part 
repeated in 36:8-38. 

^ Exodus 36:5-7. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 



23 



the eastern side. Of the two squares within the curtains, 
the easterly was reserved for assemblies of the people, 
while the square to the west constituted the more sacred 
area pertaining to the Tabernacle itself. 

The entire space so enclosed covered one hundred 
cubits east and west and fifty cubits north and south, or 
approximately one hundred and fifty feet by seventy-five 
feet.* In the easterly section, and therefore removed 
from the Tabernacle, stood the altar of burnt-offerings. 
Between the altar and the Tabernacle stood the laver ; this 
was a large vessel of brass standing upon a pedestal and 
containing water for the ceremonial cleansing of the hands 
and feet of the priests. It is interesting to note that the 
laver and its supporting pedestal were made by special 
contribution of the women, who gave their brazen mirrors 
, for this purpose. The Tabernacle stood with its longer 
j axis east and west, and with its entrance on the easterly 
side. The structure was but thirty cubits long by ten 
cubits broad, or forty-five by fifteen feet; these are 
the dimensions given by Josephus, and they are prac- 
tically in accord with the description in Exodus, which 
states that the walls comprised twenty boards on 
l! a side, each board one and a half cubits wide; at the 
west end there were six boards, each one and a half 
cubits wide or nine cubits in all; these with the angle 
posts would make the entire breadth equal to that 
given by Josephus, ten cubits. The boards of the walls 

! *The cubit is an ancient measure of length, the value of 

which varied in different countries and at different times. As 
the term occurs in the Bible, it denotes varying lengths. In 
line with modern encyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, etc., the 
length herein adopted is one foot six inches. See Encyclopedia 
Britannica, Smith's Bible Dictionary, etc. 



24 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



were held together by tenon-joints having sockets of 
silver, two to each board ; the boards themselves were 
overlaid with gold and were provided with rings of the 
same metal to receive the bars, which also were overlaid 
with gold. 

It will be seen that the Tabernacle was but a small 
structure, entirely unsuited to the accommodation of large 
assemblies, but it is to be remembered that for such it was 
never intended. Within the Tabernacle, only the ap- 
pointed bearers of the Priesthood officiated ; and of these 
none but the few actually engaged in the service of the 
day could be admitted. 

The Tabernacle was divided by a curtain, specifically 
called the Veil, into two compartments, the outer of which 
was known as the Holy Place, and the inner as the Most 
Holy Place or Holy of Holies. Josephus and some others 
state that the Tabernacle comprised three parts ; the third 
division, however, was really outside the main tent and 
appeared as a porch at the east end, five cubits deep, and 
extending across the entire front. The Veil, which sep- 
arated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, was of 
fine workmanship, "of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and 
fine twined linen of cunning work," and was embroidered 
with cherubim. It was hung upon four pillars of wood 
overlaid with gold ; the hooks were of gold and the sock- 
ets of silver. The wood used for these pillars, as indeed 
that used in other parts of the structure, was the rare, 
costly, and durable shittim or acacia, sometimes known as 
thorn-wood. Beyond the Veil the enclosure was most 
holy, and therein was placed the Ark of the Covenant with 
its Mercy Seat bearing the sacred cherubim, the descrip- 
tion of which appears in the record as follows : 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 25 

"And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood : two cubits 
and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the 
breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it : 

"And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, 
and made a crown of gold to it round about. 

"And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the 
four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, 
and two rings upon the other side of it. 

"And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them 
with gold. 

"And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the 
ark, to bear the ark. 

"And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits 
and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half 
the breadth thereof. 

"And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one 
piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat : 

"One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub 
on the other end on that side : out of the mercy seat made he 
the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 

"And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and 
covered w4th their wings over the mercy seat, with their 
faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the 
faces of the cherubims."^' 

Outside the Veil, yet within the Tabernacle, was 
the Holy Place; in this were placed the table of shew- 
bread, the altar of incense, and the golden seven-branched 
candlestick.-'" 

The rich fabrics of delicate workmanship forming 
the walls and roof of the Tabernacle were protected by 
coarser hangings of goats' hair, and these in turn by 
a covering of skins. The structure as completed is re- 
ferred to in the scripture sometimes as the Tent of the 



Exodus 37:1-9; compare 25:10-22. 
/See Exodus 37:10-29; compare 25:23-40. 



26 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Congregation and at others as the Tabernacle of the Con- 
gregation; the former expression occurs thirteen times, 
the latter one hundred and thirty-three times; yet not- 
withstanding this difference, the original in each case was 
Ohel Moed, the best authenticated translation of which 
is the Tent of Meeting. Let it not be supposed, however, 
that this means in the ordinary sense a meeting-house, for 
the meeting here expressed is not that of a concourse of 
worshippers, but the place of communion between God 
and His Priesthood. The Tent of Meeting, or the Taber- 
nacle of the Congregation, in Israel, was the Lord's tent 
wherein He met the authorized representatives of His 
people. 

On the first day of the second year following Israel's 
exodus from Egypt, the Tabernacle was set up for the 
first time, and all the sacred furniture was disposed ac- 
cording to the direct commands of the Lord. The veil 
was hung, and the place was consecrated as a most holy 
spot, ineffably sacred as the dwelling place of Jehovah. 
Then, even as on Sinai a cloud had shrouded the tem- 
porary abiding place of God, so was it with the Taber- 
nacle : 

'Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and 
the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 

"And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the 
congregation, because the cloud abode thereon and the glory 
of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 

"And when the cloud was taken up from over the taber- 
nacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their jour- 
neys : 

"But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed 
not till the day that it was taken up. 

"For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 27 

I day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house 
of Israel, throughout all their journeys."^ 

The all-pervading and all-controlling thought in the 
erection of this portable sanctuary was that of expressing 
the close association between Jehovah and His people. 
The people were to consider themselves specifically the 
people of God, and amongst them should be His dwelling, 
surpassing in a transcendent degree the presence of the 
gods of wood and stone housed among the idolatrous 
nations with whom Israel had to contend. This thought 
was expressed in the earliest commandment respecting 
the building of the Tabernacle : "And let them make me 
a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them."^ 

Even more truly indispensable than Tabernacle or 
Temple, in the maintenance of close relationship with 
Deity, is the Priesthood. It was therefore to be expected 
that with the establishment of a holy sanctuary, appoint- 
ments and ordinations should be made whereby men 
would be truly set apart to the sacred offices of the Priest- 
hood. While Moses was the great high priest of Israel, 
standing at the head of a distinctive dispensation of Divine 
authority and power, there were many priestly functions 
pertaining to the less exalted orders, and unto these 
Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazer, and 
Ithamar, were set apart. As the Tabernacle had been built 
under express direction extending even into minute detail, 
so the ministrations of the Priesthood were prescribed 
and the order of worship was established, whereby the 
people should be reminded that amongst them dwelt 



* Exodus 40:34-38. 
^Exodus 25:8. 



28 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Jehovah, before whom they should set none other gods/" 
The Tabernacle was prepared primarily for migratory 
service; its parts therefore were separately finished and 
so fitted as to permit of easy putting together or taking 
apart. When set up within its court, the Tabernacle occu- 
pied the place of honor in the center of the camp. 

On the east, and therefore immediately before the 
entrance to the court, were the tents of the Priests ; while 
on the other three sides the Levites were encamped. 
These, being closest in attendance have been likened to 
the body-guard of the Great King" whose throne was 
within the sanctuary ; and beyond them were stationed the 
other tribes in order of established precedence. While 
dismantled and in transit, when the people were on the 
march, the Tabernacle still held the central place; its 
bearers were the Levites, and the whole army of Israel 
was its guard. 

Until Israel had become permanently established in 
the land of promise, the Tabernacle of the Congregation 
had but temporary resting places. As the people moved 
the sanctuary was carried, until it found a somewhat 
more permanent home at Shiloh. There, at the door of 
the Tabernacle, the final apportionment of Canaan among 
the tribes was made.^ There it remained during the period 
of the Judges, and until after the Ark of God had been 
allowed to pass from the custod . of Israel to that of the 
Philistines, because of sin.^ The glory of the sanctuary 

See Exodus chapter 28. 
" See Smith's Dictionary of the Bible (Barnurn's ed.), art. 
"Tabernacle." 

« Joshua 18:1-3; 19:51; see also 21:2; Judges 18:31; I Sam. 1:3, 
24; 4:3,4. 

/'See I Samuel 4:10-18. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 29 

was largely lost, and though the Tabernacle continued 
in existence its sacred service was in abeyance. Sadly 
was the truth declared, ''The glory is departed from 
Israel : for the ark of God is taken."^ There is evidence 
that for a short time during the reign of Saul, the Taber- 
nacle was established at Nob ; for there we find the priest 
Ahimelech maintaining the service of the shew-bread,*" 
but the Ark of the Covenant was certainly not there/ We 
next learn of the Tabernacle having been set up at Gibeon, 
though the conditions resulting in its removal thither are 
not fully stated/ The Ark was housed in another tent, and 
finally both were brought into the splendid Temple of 
Solomon by which all earlier sanctuaries were superseded. 

THE THIRD TABERNACLE 

Yet another tent of sanctuary was made and used in 
Israel prior to the erection of the great Temple. This we 
may call for convenience the Third Tabernacle; it was 
erected by David the king, in his own city, as a shelter 
for the Ark of the Covenant. As already cited, the scrip- 
tural record tells of the capture of the Ark by the Phil- 
istines, and of its return to Israel. This incident occurred 
during the latter part of the administration of the Judges, 
before Israel had bowed to a king in Canaan." 

Throughout the reign of Saul, the Ark remained 
under the roof of a private dwelhng; wherein, however, 
a priest was maintained for its care and ministry. One 
of the early acts of David after he became king, was to 

<i I Samuel 4:22. 
^See I Samuel 21:1-6. 
^See I Samuel 7:1,2. 

*See I Chron. 21:28-30; compare II Chron. 1:3-6. 
"I Samuel 4:10-22; also chapters 5 and 6; and 7:1-2. 



30 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



plan the removal of the Ark to a more suitable situation. 
In the course of this removal, Uzzah was stricken, be- 
cause without authority he essayed to take hold of the 
sacred vessel ; and this manifestation of Divine displeasure 
so affected David that he delayed his purpose of setting 
up the Ark in his own city and placed it in another private 
house — that of Obed-edom the Gittite.^ While the Ark 
remained beneath that roof the household was blessed and 
prospered. In course of time the original plan was carried 
into effect and the Ark was set up in a tent specially 
prepared for its reception in the City of David : ''And 
they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, 
in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for 
it : and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings 
before the Lord.""' 

Thus, during the reign of David there were two places 
regarded as sanctuaries; and the worship of the people 
was divided. Solomon appears to have acknowledged the 
sanctity of both places — the resting place of the Ark at 
Jerusalem and the place of the Tabernacle of the Congre- 
gation at Gibeon.-^ Through him both shrines were again 
brought together.^ 

THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON 

Scarcely had the Ark of the Covenant been deposited 
at the capital of the kingdom — the City of David, — when 
the king became desirous of erecting for its accommoda- 
tion a more enduring shelter than the tent in which it had 

^11 Samuel 6:1-12; see also I Chron. chapter 13. 

Samuel 6:17; see also I Chron. 15:1, and 16:1. 
^See I Kings 3:15 and II Chron. 1:3,4. 
y See I Kings 8:1-4. 



SANCTUARIES IX EARLIER DISPEXSATIOXS 31 

been installed with pomp and ceremony. It appears that 
the conscience of the king was troubled by the thought 
that he was better housed than was the sanctuary of the 
Lord: '''Xow it came to pass, as David sat in his house, 
that David said to Xathan the prophet. Lo, I dwell in an 
house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
remaineth under curtains.""- It was David's desire to build 
a suitable House for the Lord and Xathan the prophet at 
first encouraged the undertaking. The Lord spake to 
X'athan however, and directed him to decline the king's 
profifered gift. Although Jehovah had been without a 
fixed place recognized by the people as His. though as 
He said He had not dwelt in a house amongst Israel, but 
had gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to 
another,^ though as the context implies, the Lord had 
been neglected in the long delay attending the erection of 
a house to His name, nevertheless David could not be 
honored with the commission or even the permission to 
build such a house for he was accounted a man of blood/ 
Let us not undertake to judge the extent of David's 
oftending; to do so would be to usurp the Divine prerog- 
ative: it is enough for us to know that ei-en the gift of 
royalty may be declined if there be aught requiring recon- 
ciliation between the mortal and his God. David, how- 
ever, was permitted to provide means and to gather 
material which afterward should be used in the erection 
of the Temple :'^' moreover, the very site on which the great 
building was subsequently erected was chosen and sancti- 
fied through his agency. A great pestilence had faUen 

^1 Chron. 17:1: see also II Samuel 7:1,2. 
^ I Chron. 17:4,5. 

c See I Chron. 22:8: compare 28:3: and I Kings 5:3. 
^ See I Chron. 22:1-5. 



32 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Upon Israel, and the Angel of the Lord, sent forth with 
the warrant of destruction, was seen by David, standing, 
sword in hand, on Mount Moriah at the threshing floor 
of Araunah the Jebusite/ That spot, hallowed by the 
presence of a heavenly messenger, though that messenger 
was the Angel of Death, was marked by the erection of an 
altar, as the Lord directed through the prophet Gad/ 

As David realized that his years of life were few, he 
laid upon Solomon, his son and chosen successor, the 
solemn charge to build the house he had been forbidden 
to build. The king dwelt pathetically upon his own dis- 
qualification, and then repeated the Lord's promise of 
acceptance at the hand of Solomon. The scriptural record 
runs thus : 

''So David prepared abundantly before his death. 

"Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to 
build an house for the Lord God of Israel. 

"And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was 
in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord 
my God : 

"But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou 
hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars : thou 
shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast 
shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. 

"Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man 
of rest ; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round 
about : for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace 
and quietness unto Israel in his days. 

"He shall build an house for my name ; and he shall be 
my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the 
throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. 



Samuel 24:15-25; see also I Chron. 21:15-17; and II Chron. 

3:1. 

/See I Chron. 21:18-30; compare II Samuel 24:18-25. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 33 

"Now, my son, the Lord be with thee ; and prosper thou, 
and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of 
thee. 

"Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, 
and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest 
keep the law of the Lord thy God. 

"Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil 
the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses 
with concerning Israel : be strong, and of good courage ; 
dread not, nor be dismayed. 

"Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the 
house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and 
a thousand thousand talents of silver ; and of brass and iron 
without weight ; for it is in abundance : timber also and 
stone have I prepared ; and thou mayest add thereto. 

"'Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, 
hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of 
cunning men for every manner of work. 

"Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, 
there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the 
Lord be w4th thee. 

"David also commanded ah the princes of Israel to help 
Solomon his son, saying, 

"Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not 
given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhab- 
itants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued 
before the Lord, and before his people. 

"Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord 
your God ; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of 
the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 
and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built 
to the name of the Lord."^ 

David gave Solomon detailed instructions as to the 
design and specifications of the house and its appurte- 
nances, the plan of the porch and that of both the main 



^I Chron. 22:5-19; see also 28:1-8: 29:1-7. 



34 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Structure and the accessory buildings, ''and the pattern of 
all that he had by the Spirit." Furthermore he gave 
directions as to the ministry of the various courses of 
Priests and Levites, ''and for all the work of the service 
of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service 
in the house of the Lord."^ 

The actual work of construction was begun in the 
fourth year of Solomon's reign, and the Temple was 
ready for dedication in the twelfth, or about 1005 B. C. 
At the inception of the labor, Solomon entered into an 
agreement with Hiram, a neighboring king, whereby the 
resources of Tyre and Sidon were annexed in the great 
undertaking. Through this alliance the splendid forests 
of Lebanon were made accessible ; cedar, and fir, and other 
trees were felled and floated by the thousand to the most 
convenient point for land transportation to Jerusalem. 
It had been previously explained to Hiram that the 
demand would be a heavy one, for, as Solomon had said : 
"The house which I build is great : for great is our God 
above all gods."^ Sidonian hewers were put to work, — 
the most skilful of all known woodmen ; and the timbers 
of Lebanon were supplied in abundance. The extent of 
the demand may be judged from the enormous payment 
proffered and made by Solomon.-' 

Israelitish workmen were employed in great num- 
bers, both in co-operation with the Sidonians and at home. 
Thus we read: 

"And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel ; and 
the levy was thirty thousand men. 



h I Chron. 28:11-13. 

* II Chron. 2:5; see also the entire chapter. 
/See I Kings 5:11; and II Chron. 2:10,15. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 35 

"And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month 
by courses : a month they were in Lebanon, and two months 
at home : and Adoniram was over the levy. 

"And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that 
bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the moun- 
tains ; 

"Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over 
the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled 
over the people that wrought in the work. 

"And the king commianded, and they brought great 
stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation 
of the house. 

"And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew 
them, and the stonesquarers : so they prepared timber and 
stones to build the house. 

For the successful employment of such great numbers 
of workmen an effective system of organization was nec- 
essary; we are not surprised, therefore, in reading that 
thirty-three hundred overseers were in service. The effici- 
ency of the system is attested by the success attending the 
great undertaking. The Israelites and the men of Tyre 
and Sidon worked in harmony, and much of the build- 
ing material was shaped by pattern and measurement in 
forest and quarry; therefore ^'the house, when it was in 
building, was built of stone made ready before it was 
brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor 
ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in 
building."^ 

Our primary source of information relating to the 
erection of the great Temple is the scriptural record con- 
tained in I Kings, chapters 6 and 7; a later account ap- 
pears in II Chronicles, chapters 3 and 4, which account as 

n Kings 5:13-18. 

Kings 6:7; compare Deuteronomy 27:5,6. 



36 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



well as the description given by Josephus''' appears to have 
been derived from the record first cited. 

In general, the design of Solomon's Temple was that 
of the specially constructed Tabernacle of the Congrega- 
tion, though the dimensions of the Temple were double 
those of the Tabernacle. It will be remembered that the 
porch of the Tabernacle was five cubits deep; that of the 
Temple measured ten cubits in depth; in each case the 
porch extended across the full width of the house. The 
Holy Place, or first compartment within the walls, was 
twenty cubits long, ten cubits wide and ten high in the 
Tabernacle ; that of the Temple was forty by twenty cubits 
and twenty cubits high. The inner sanctuary, Oracle, or 
Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle was cubical and meas- 
ured ten cubits each way; in the Temple this sacred en- 
closure was a cube of twenty cubits. Thus the ground 
plan of the Tabernacle covered thirty-five by twenty 
cubits, and that of the Temple seventy cubits by forty. 
These measurements do not take into account the side 
chambers, which in the Tabernacle were five cubits wide; 
those connected with the Temple measured ten cubits in 
extreme width ; with these included, the entire area of the 
Tabernacle was forty by twenty cubits, and that of the 
Temple eighty by forty cubits ; or, at the usually accepted 
equivalent for the cubit, sixty by thirty feet for the Taber- 
nacle, and one hundred and twenty feet by sixty feet for 
the Temple. In height the same relation was maintained ; 
the Tabernacle rose fifteen cubits and the Temple thirty 
cubits. The Temple porch appears to have towered 
above the height of the main structure." 



Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book VIII: chaps. 2, 3, 4. 
"See II Chron. 3:4. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 37 

In the porch, standing as a guard at the threshold of 
the Temple, were two brazen pillars, of elaborate design, 
and doubtless of emblematical significance. They were 
regarded as of such importance as to merit detailed de- 
scription, and the name of their maker was inscribed in 
the Temple archives. They were wrought by Hiram of 
Tyre, — not the king who bore the same name — but a 
master-artisan, skilled in the working of brass. Hiram 
fashioned the pillars, each twelve cubits in circumference 
and eighteen cubits high exclusive of the massive chapi- 
ters, which were ornamented with pomegranates and lily 
work. The pillar at the right of the entrance was named 
Jachin, meaning "He shall establish," and that at the left 
was called Boaz, signifying 'Tn it is strength."'' What- 
ever deeper meaning may have been attached to these 
massive columns, their suggestive symbolism of strength 
and firmness is plainly apparent. As to whether they 
actually supported the roof of the porch, or were free, 
standing as embellishments and symbols alone, the scrip- 
tural text is not definite. 

The walls of the great Temple were of hewn stone, 
yet on the inside no stone was visible ; for the walls were 
wainscotted from floor to ceiling with cedar, richly dec- 
orated with carvings of flowers, trees, and other designs, 
and the flooring was of fir.^ Moreover, the interior was 
richly embellished with overlaid work in pure gold. The 
partition by which the Oracle or Holy of H^olies was 
divided off, corresponding to the veil in the Tabernacle, 
was thus overlaid, and was hung with chains of gold.^ 
The cherubim that stood as the symbol of guardianship 



''See I Kings 7:13-22. 
PI Kings 6:15-18,29. 
9 Verses 19-22. 



38 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



over the Oracle were of olive wood, covered with gold, the 
precious metal being fitted upon the carved work/ 

The vestibule or porch stood at the east end ; and this 
constituted the only entrance to the Temple proper. On 
the other three sides, therefore surrounding both the Holy 
Place and the Oracle, were numerous small chambers, 
built in three tiers or stories. The width of these was 
five cubits in the lowest story, six cubits in the middle, and 
seven cubits in the top story; this peculiarity in width 
increasing with height was made possible by the decrease 
in the thickness of the walls. By this rebatement of the 
walls, the cedarn chambers were well supported yet they 
formed no part of the main structure ; it was so designed 
''that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the 
house. These small apartments were therefore "cham- 
bers round about, against the walls of the house," yet of 
independent construction. From the mention made by 
EzekieP these chambers are supposed to have numbered 
thirty, though no precise specification is found. They 
were probably used for service required of the priests 
aside from the ceremonial labor connected with the gen- 
eral ritual. Entrance to these chambers was provided on 
the right side of the building with winding stairs leading 
to the upper rooms. Above the level of the upper cham- 
bers were windows by which the outer apartment or Holy 
Place was lighted; the Holy of Holies, however, was 
without natural light. 

The furniture within the Temple comprised but few 
objects, yet every piece was of special design and for 
exclusive use. In the Holy Place stood the table, or a 



''Verse 35. 
•s Verses 5, 6. 
*Ezekiel 41:6, 7. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 39 

series of tables to bear the sacred shew-bread. Mention is 
made also of an altar of gold, and of ten candlesticks of 
pure gold set in front of the entrance to the Oracle, five 
on either side; furthermore there were tongs of gold, 
bowls and snuffers, basins and spoons. The Oracle was 
prepared for the reception of the Ark of the Covenant, 
and to overshadow that holy vessel there were prepared 
the two great cherubim, each ten cubits high ; these were 
of olive wood overlaid with gold. 

The Temple stood within walled enclosures, generally 
spoken of as outer and inner courts respectively. The 
wall of the inner court is described as consisting of three 
courses of hewn stone, in which was set a course of cedar 
beams. This corresponded to the single enclosure of the 
ancient Tabernacle. Inasmuch as all the specified meas- 
urements show the Temple to have been double the size 
of the Tabernacle, this court may have been of corre- 
sponding proportion ; it is therefore generally believed to 
have extended one hundred cubits north and south and 
two hundred cubits east and west." 

Within the court, ''before the porch of the Lord" 
stood the altar of sacrifice. This was of brass twenty 
cubits square and ten cubits high. To the service of the 
altar belonged many of the utensils such as basins, pots, 
and shovels, specially made under the direction of the 
master craftsman, Hiram of Tyre. Another prominent 
object within the court was the molten sea, called also the 
brazen sea.^ This great font measured thirty cubits in 
circumference and stood five cubits high, and was richly 

"For specifications as to the courts, see I Kings 6:36; com- 
pare 7:12; see also II Kings 23:12; II Chron. 4:9; 33:5. 

^I Kings 7:23-26; II Chron. 4:2; see also II Kings 25:13; 
compare Jeremiah 52:17= 



40 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ornamented. The walls were a hand-breadth in thick- 
ness, and the brim was embellished with flower work. It 
was mounted on twelve brazen oxen, arranged in groups 
of three, the groups facing respectively north, south, east 
and west. The great font stood between the altar and 
the porch ''on the right side of the house, eastward, over 
against the south."^ Associated with the molten sea 
were ten smaller vessels called lavers, mounted on bases 
of special construction and provided with wheels to facil- 
itate removal.^ The lavers were used in connection with 
the service of the altar, for the washing of the offerings ; 
but the main font or molten sea was reserved for the 
ceremonial cleansing of the priests. 

When the House of the Lord was completed, elaborate 
preparations were made for its dedication. First came 
the installation of the Ark of the Covenant and its appur- 
tenances, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the 
holy vessels. With great solemnity and to the accom- 
paniment of ceremonial sacrifice, the Ark was brought by 
the priests and placed within the Holy of Holies beneath 
the wings of the cherubim. At this time the Ark con- 
tained only the two tables of stone 'Svhich Moses put 
there." The staves by which the Ark was borne were so 
drawn out as to be visible from within the Holy Place, 
and then ''it came to pass, when the priests were come out 
of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the 
Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister be- 
cause of the cloud : for the glory of the Lord had filled 
the house of the Lord."^ 



I Kings 7:39. 

I Kings 7:27-39; compare II Chron. 4:6. 
yl Kings 8:10, 11. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 41 



Then Solomon addressed the assembled multitude, re- 
citing the circumstances under which the building of the 
Temple had been conceived by his father David and exe- 
cuted by himself, and proclaiming the mercy and goodness 
of Israel's God. Standing before the altar of the Lord, 
in the court of the Temple, the king spread forth his 
hands toward heaven, and offered the dedicatory prayer. 
The king then blessed the people, saying ''Blessed be the 
Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, accord- 
ing to all that he promised : there hath not failed one word 
of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand 
of Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as 
he was with our fathers : let him not leave us, nor forsake 
us."^ 

The principal services with the attendant festivities 
lasted seven days, and "on the eighth day he sent the 
people away : and they blessed the king, and went unto 
their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness 
that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for 
Israel his people. ""^ 

For only a third of a century did this splendid edifice 
maintain its supremacy and glory. In the later years of 
his reign Solomon had done wickedly in the sight of God 
and the people had not been slow to follow their king in 
evil paths. Israel had grown weak in their allegiance to 
Jehovah and had gone after strange gods. Following the 
death of Solomon the nation was disrupted. In the fifth 
year of the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt 
besieged the City of David and even despoiled the Temple 

Kings 8:56,57; for the dedicatory services in full see the 
entire chapter. 

« Verse 66. 



42 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and carried away part of the sacred treasures. Next, 
Jehoash, king of one part of the divided nation, took 
away gold and silver and sacred vessels from the House 
of the Lord and carried them into Samaria.^ It is thus 
shown that the desecration of the Temple was not effected 
wholly by the enemies of Israel ; the people to whom the 
House had once been sacred contributed to its profana- 
tion. Ahaz, the wicked king of Judah, removed the altar 
from its place and substituted therefor another lashioned 
by his own order after the pattern of the altars of the 
heathen; moreover he took down the molten sea and dis- 
mantled the lavers.^ Mannasseh, another evil king who 
reigned in Judah, followed after Baal and set up idola- 
trous shrines within the very precincts of the Temple/ 
The precious things of the House of the Lord were used 
as barter between kings. So, Asa king of Judah pur- 
chased the aid of Ben-hadad, to fight against Israel;^ so 
also did Jehoash purchase peace from Hazael king of 
Syria / and so did Hezekiah strip the House of the Lord 
for plunder wherewith to pay tribute to the Assyrians.^ 

Some attempts were made to repair the worst of the 
ravages upon and within the Temple'' but it seemed 
that the House had been abandoned to its fate. In the 
year 586 B. C, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, com- 
pleted the destruction of the Temple in connection with 



bU Kings 14:13, 14. 

^11 Kings 16:10-18- see also II Chron. 28:24. 
^^11 Kings 21:1-7; see also II Chron. 33:1-7. 
el Kings 15:18. 
/II Kings 12:18. 
^11 Kings 18:15, 16. 

^See II Kings 12:2-14; compare II Chron. 24:7-14; see also 
II Kings 22:3-7; compare II Chron. 34;8-13. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 43 

his conquest of the kingdom of Judah. Whatever of 
value was yet there he carried away, and the building was 
destroyed by fire/ 

There occurs yet one later mention of some of the 
vessels that had been made for the service of Jehovah, — 
when they were brought out to crown the triumph of 
Belshazzar in his heathenish feast. Then was manifest 
the displeasure of the Lord, and the trembling king heard 
from the lips of Daniel his doom, — for he had been un- 
mindful of the fate that had overtaken his father, and had 
lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven; and had 
brought out the vessels of the house of God that he and 
his lords, his wives and his concubines might drink wine 
therefrom; and he had praised the gods of silver, and 
gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor 
hear, nor know ; but the God in whose hand was his 
breath and whose were all his ways had he not glorified. 
He had been weighed in the balances and was found 
wanting; and his kingdom was taken from him. That 
night, Belshazzar the king was slain.-^ 

THE TEMPLE OF EZEKIEL's VISION 

In the twenty-fifth year of the Babylonian captivity, 
while yet the people of Israel were in exile in a strange 
land, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Ezekiel; 
the power of God rested upon him; and he saw in vision 
a glorious Temple, the plan of which he minutely de- 

^'11 Kings 24:13; 25:9-17; II Chron. 36:7,19; compare Isaiah 
64:11; Jeremiah 27:16, 19-22; 28:3; 52:13, 17-23; Lamentations 
2:7; 4:1; and Ezra 1:7. 

/ See Daniel, chapter 5. 



44 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



scribed.'^ As to whether the prophet himself considered 
the design so shown as one to be subsequently realized, 
or as but a grand yet unattainable ideal, is not declared. 
Certain it is that the Temple of the vision has not yet 
been builded. 

In most of its essential features Ezekiel's ideal fol- 
lowed closely the plan of Solomon's Temple; so close, 
indeed, is the resemblance, that many of the details speci- 
fied by Ezekiel have been accepted as those of the splendid 
edifice destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. A predominant 
characteristic of the Temple described by Ezekiel was the 
spaciousness of its premises and the symmetry of both 
the Holy House and its associated buildings. The 
area was to be a square of five hundred cubits, walled 
about and provided with a gateway and arches on each 
of three sides; on the west side the wall was to be un- 
broken by arch or portal. At each of the gateways were 
little chambers regarded as lodges,^ and provided with 
porches. In the outer court were other chambers. The 
entire area was to be elevated, and a flight of steps led to 
each gateway. In the inner court was seen the great 
altar, standing before the House, and occupying the cen- 
ter of a square of one hundred cubits."' Ample provision 
was made for every variety of sacrifice and offering, and 
for the accommodation of the priests, the singers, and all 
engaged in the holy ritual." The main structure com- 
prised a Porch, a Holy Place, and an inner sanctuary or 
Most Holy Place, the last named elevated above the rest 

k See Ezekiel, chapters 40 to 43. 
^ So designated in the Revised Version. 

Ezekiel 40:47. 
" Verses 44-46. 



SAXCTUARIES IX EARLIER DISPEXSATIOXS 



45 



and reached by steps. The plan provided for even 
greater exclusiveness than had characterized the sacred 
area of the Temple of Solomon ; the double courts con- 
tributed to this end. The service of the Temple was pre- 
scribed in detail: the ordinances of the altar, the duties of 
the priests, the ministry of the Levites, the regulations 
governing oblations and feasts were all set forth. ^ 

The immediate purpose of this revelation through the 
vision of the prophet appears to have been that of awak- 
ening the people of Israel to a realization of their faUen 
state and a conception of their departed glory. The 
prophet was thus commanded : 

*'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of 
Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities : and let 
them measure the pattern. 

''And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, 
show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, 
and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and 
all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all 
the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof : and write it in 
their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and 
all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 

"This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the 
m.ountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most 
holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. 

THE TEIMPLE OF ZERUBBABEL 

For three score years and ten the Jcavs had grieved 
and groaned under Babylonian rule. The greater part 
of the once proud Kingdom of Judah had been carried 



° Ezekiel. chapters 44-48. 
P Ezekiel 43:10-12. 



46 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



away captive, and such as remained in the land of their 
fathers had lost their national status and had become 
largely merged with the Gentiles. With dreadful exact- 
ness had been fulfilled the dire prediction of Jeremiah. 
Through that prophet the Lord had spoken, saying : 

''Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Because ye have 
not heard my words, 

''Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, 
saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar [Nebuchadnezzar] the 
king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against 
this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all 
these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and 
make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual 
desolations. 

"Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and 
the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the 
voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light 
of the candle. 

"And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an aston- 
ishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 
seventy years. 

However, the gloom of the saddening prophecy had 
been lightened by one ray of hope and promise — the 
assurance that when the seventy years of the Lord's chas- 
tisement had been completed, the people should return to 
the land of their inheritance, and once again be recognized 
as the Lord's own."" In the encouragement of that hope 
the people had lived; by its inspiration their prophets, 
even while in captivity, had sought the Lord, and declared 
His will to the people ; by its light Ezekiel had seen in the 

9 Jeremiah 25:8-11; see also 29:10. 

^ See Jeremiah 25:12-14. See also the author's "The Articles 
of Faith," Lecture XVII, "The Dispersion of Israel." 



i 

SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 47 

vision of seership the re-establishment of his people and 
the possibility of a Temple greater and grander than the 
first. In due time the God of Israel made good His 
word, and vindicated anew His power as King of kings ; 
I He ruled and overruled the passions of nations and the 
acts of earthly rulers, and once again brought His people 
from the land of their bondage. Persia had become the 
controlling power among the nations, and by decree of 
1 the Persian king, Judah was emancipated. Behold the 
I power of God in directing the rulers among mortals : 

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that 
j the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be 
I fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of 
i Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his 
I kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 
I "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of 
heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth ; and 
ji he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, 
I! which is in Judah. 

' "Who is there among you of all his people? his God be 

with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, 

I and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the 

'! God,) which is in Jerusalem.. 

"And whosoever rem.aineth in any place where he so- 
journeth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and 

j with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the free- 
will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem."-^ 

; Under this gracious permission the people returned to 
the land of their fathers, and set about the work of build- 
^ ing anew a House to the Lord. Cyrus had issued his 
j royal decree that the structure be worthy the great Name 
{' to which it was to be reared — the foundations were to 

I -sEzra 1:1-4. 

I 

I! 



48 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



be strongly laid; the height was to be three score cubits, 
and the breadth the same; there were to be set three 
rows of great stones and a row of new timber ; moreover, 
the expenses were to be met by the royal treasury/ The 
king restored to the people the vessels that had been taken 
by Nebuchadnezzar from the first Temple, — all these, 
numbering many thousands, were formally delivered by 
the king's treasurer." 

So great was the enthusiasm of the people, so strong 
their desire to have individual part in the holy under- 
taking, that many who had been careless of their heritage 
now claimed priestly standing; but, as their genealogy 
had not been preserved, they were debarred from the 
priesthood, though permitted to return with the rest. 
The prerogatives of the priestly order were denied them 
until one would arise with power to declare their gene- 
alogy through Urim and Thummim.'^ 

Zerubbabel and Jeshua had charge of the work; and 
without delay they builded anew the altar of the God of 
Israel and re-established the ritual of sacrifice, and the 
observance of the sacred festivals.™ Masons and car- 
penters, workmen and artisans of all kinds and degrees 
were brought into service; again were Tyre and Sidon 
put under friendly tribute, and once more the wealth of 
the forests of Lebanon was brought to Jerusalem. Priests 
and Levites were marshalled in order as of old, and the 
sound of trumpets and cymbals was mingled with the 
voices of the singers. Is there cause for wonder that 

^ Ezra 6:3-4. 
» Ezra 1:7-11. 
^■See Ezra 2:61-63. 
w Ezra 3:1-6. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 49 



as the foundations were laid, old men who remembered 
the first House and its glory wept aloud and shouted 
in their tearful joy?"^ 

But adversaries arose who put obstacles in the way 
of the builders. The people of Canaan — Israelites who 
had forgotten their allegiance to God, and had mingled 
with idolaters, took offense at the activity of the returned 
Jews. At first they offered to assist in the work, but 
being refused recognition because of their idolatrous 
associations, they became obstructionists, and ''weak- 
ened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled 
them in building; and hired counsellors against them, 
to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of 
Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia."^ 
The claim was made that of old the people of Judah had 
been a trouble to other nations, and that with the res- 
toration of their Temple they would again become sedi- 
tious. At last the protests and charges reached Darius, 
the reigning monarch; and he, having investigated the 
whole matter, issued a decree, that not only should the 
Jews be free from interruption in the building of the 
Temple, but that a portion of the king's tribute, the 
regular taxes of the land, should be devoted to the work ; 
and, said the king : 

"Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter 
this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and be- 
ing set up, let him be hanged thereon ; and let his house be 
made a dunghill for this. And the God that hath caused his 
name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall 

^Ezra 3:8-13. 

y Ezra 4:1-6; see also verses 7-24, and chapter 5. 
5 



50 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God 
which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree ; let it 
be done with speed."^ 

With such support the people soon completed the 
building. Though nearly twenty years elapsed between 
the laying of the foundation and the finishing, the 
greater part of the labor was done during the last four 
years. The dedicatory services were solemn and in- 
spiring. For seven days the Feast of Unleavened 
Bread was observed ; the Passover was eaten by those 
who had returned from captivity and by such others as 
had ''separated themselves unto them from the filthiness 
of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of 
Israel. ""^ 

This, the second Temple, was finished in the year 515 
B. C. ; it is known in history as the Temple of Zerub- 
babel. In general plan it was patterned after the Temple 
of Solomon, though in many of its dimensions it exceeded 
its prototype. The court was divided into a section for 
priests only and another for the public ; according to 
Josephus the division was effected by a wooden railing.^ 
An altar of unhewn stone was erected in place of the 
great brazen altar of old.^ The Holy Place was graced 
by but one candlestick instead of ten; and by a single 
table for the shew-bread instead of the ten tables overlaid 
with gold which stood in the first Temple. We read also 
of a golden altar of incense, and of some minor appur- 
tenances. The Most Holy Place was empty, for the Ark 



^ Ezra 6:11, 12; see also verses 7-10. 
a Ezra 6:21. 

^Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews: XIII, 13:5. 
c Compare Exodus 20:25; Deut. 27:5; Joshua 8:31. 



SANCTUARIES IK EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 51 



of the Covenant had not been known after the people 
had gone into captivity. 

In many respects the Temple of Zernbbabel appeared 
poor in comparison with its splendid predecessor and in 
certain particulars, indeed, it ranked lower than the 
ancient Tabernacle of the Congregation — the sanctuary 
of the nomadic tribes. Critical scholars specify the fol- 
lowing features characteristic of the Temple of Solomon 
and lacking in the Temple of Zerubbabel : ( 1 ) the Ark of 
the Covenant: (2) the sacred fire: (3) the Shekinah, or 
glory of the Lord, manifested of old as the Divine Pres- 
ence; (4) the Urim and Thtimmim, by which Jehovah 
made plain His will to the priests of the Aaronic order : 
(5) the genius or spirit of prophecy, indicative of the 
closest communion between mortals and their God. Not- 
withstanding these differences the Temple of Zerubbabel 
was recognized of God and was undoubtedly the site or 
seat of Divine revelation to duly constituted prophets. 

The inferiority of the second Temple as compared 
with the first is generally conceded : the difference, how- 
ever, was rather in matter of splendor than in point of 
size.'^ But even such glory as it did possess was not to 
be long maintained. Again the people became recreant 
to their God. and the voice of the prophet was unheeded. 
Again did Jehovah permit the heathen to oppress Judah. 
Of the later history of this Temple the Biblical record 
gives but few details ; but from other sources we learn of 
its vicissitudes. In connection with the Maccabean per- 
secution the House of the Lord was profaned. A Syrian 
king. Antiochus Epiphanes. captured Jerusalem (168 to 



- See Haggai 2:1-4; compare Zech. 4:10. 



52 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



165 B. C.) and perpetrated blasphemous outrage against 
the rehgion of the people. He plundered the Temple and 
carried away its golden candlestick, its golden altar of 
incense, its table of shewbread, and even tore down the 
sacred veils, which were of fine linen and scarlet. His 
malignity was carried so far that he purposely desecrated 
the altar of sacrifice by offering swine thereon, and 
erected a heathen altar within the sacred enclosure. Not 
content with the violation of the Temple, this wicked 
monarch had altars erected in the towns and ordered the 
offering of unclean beasts upon them. The rite of cir- 
cumcision was forbidden on pain of death, and the wor- 
ship of Jehovah was declared a crime.^ As a result of this 
persecution many of the Jews apostatized, and declared 
that they belonged to the Medes and Persians — the 
nations from whose dominion they had been delivered 
by the power of God. 

Among those who remained true to the religion of 
their fathers was Mattathias, who was a priest, and a man 
of prominence. He was besought to offer heathen sac- 
rifice ; not only did he refuse but in righteous indignation 
he slew those who did attempt the sacrilege. This act 
led to further strife and for three years the struggle con- 
tinued. Judas, son of Mattathias, came into prominence 
and is known as Judas Maccabeus, — the first of the Mac- 
cabees. Under his leadership the people returned to Jeru- 
salem and found the Temple deserted, as it had been left 
by the army of Antiochus. Its gates had been broken 
down and burned ; and within the walls weeds were grow- 
ing. Judas tried to cleanse and rehabilitate the House; 
he brought in new vessels, and replaced the candlestick, 
the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, and the veils, 

^ See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, 5:3-5. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 



53 



and built a new altar for burnt offerings. Then in the 
year 163 B. C. the House was rededicated ; and the occa- 
sion w^as remembered in annual festival thereafter under 
the name of the Feast of Dedication/ 

In the interest of self-preservation the Jews entered 
into an alliance with the Romans, who eventually became 
their masters. During the reign of the IMaccabees the 
Temple fell into decay, and when the last of that dynasty 
had been succeeded by Herod the Great, the House was 
Httle more than a ruin. Nevertheless the priestly orders 
had been maintained; and some semblance of ritualistic 
w^orship had continued. The history of the Temple of 
Zerubbabel is merged with that of the Temple of Herod. 

THE TEMPLE OF HEROD 

In the year 37 B. C. Herod I, known in history as 
Herod the Great, was established on the throne as King 
of Judea. He had already served successively as pro- 
curator and tetrarch, and, indeed, had been king in namie 
for some time prior to his enthronement, during which 
period he had been in hostile conflict with the people 
over whom the decree of the Roman Senate had made him 
ruler. He came to the throne noted for arrogance and 
cruelty ; and his reign was one of tyranny, in which even 
family relationship and the closest ties of blood proved 
unavailing to protect the Aactims of his displeasure. In 
the early part of his reign he put to death nearly all the 
members of the Sanhedrin, the great Jewish Council, and 
throughout he ruled with increasing severity. Neverthe- 
less he was successful in maintaining peace w^ith other 

/See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, chaps. 
6 and 7; and II Maccabees 2:19; 10:1-8; see also John 10:22. 



54 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



governments, and by his Roman masters was accounted 
an able ruler. Among his acts of cruelty was the slaugh- 
ter of the babes of Bethlehem, a murder planned and exe- 
cuted in the hope of including among the victims the 
Child Jesus/ 

Such is the character of the man who proposed to 
replace the time-worn Temple of Zerubbabel by a new 
and more splendid structure. Can it be thought that a 
proffered gift from such a donor could be acceptable to 
the Lord ? David had aforetime offered to build a House 
to the Lord, but had been restrained, for he was a man of 
blood. Herod's purpose in the great undertaking was 
that of aggrandizing himself and the nation, rather than 
the rendering of homage to Jehovah. His proposition to 
rebuild or restore the Temple on a scale of increased mag- 
nificence was regarded with suspicion and received with 
disfavor by the Jews, who feared that were the ancient 
edifice demolished, the arbitrary monarch might abandon 
his plan and the people would be left without a Temple. 
To allay these fears the king proceeded to reconstruct 
and restore the old edifice, part by part, directing the 
work so that at no time was the Temple service seriously 
interrupted. So little of the ancient structure was allowed 
to stand, however, that the Temple of Herod must be re- 

^See Matt. 2:1-10, 16-18. "A little child made the great 
Herod quake upon his throne. When he knew that the magi 
were come to hail their King and Lord, and did not stop at his 
palace, but passed on to a humbler roof, and when he found that 
they would not return to betray this child to him, he put to death 
all the children in Bethlehem that were under two years old. 
The crime was great; but the number of the victims, in a little 
place like Bethlehem, was small enough to escape special record 
among the wicked acts of Herod from Josephus and other his 
torians, as it had no political interest." — Smith's Comprehensive 
Dictionary of the Bible, art. "Jesus Christ," page 466. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 55 

garded as a new creation. The work was begun about 
sixteen years before the birth of Christ; and while the 
Holy House itself was practically completed within a year 
and a half, this part of the labor having been performed 
by a body of one thousand priests specially trained for the 
purpose, the temple area was a scene of uninterrupted 
building operations down to the year 63 A. D. We read 
that in the time of Christ's ministry the Temple had been 
forty-six years in building and at that time it was un- 
finished. 

The Biblical record gives us little information regard- 
ing this the last and the greatest of ancient temples ; for 
what we know concerning it we are indebted mainly to 
Josephus, with some corroborative testimony found in the 
Talmud. In all essentials the Holy House or Temple 
proper was similar to the two earlier houses of sanctuary, 
though externally far more elaborate and imposing than 
either ; but in the matter of surrounding courts and asso- 
ciated buildings, the Temple of Herod preeminently ex- 
celled. In proceeding from the outer wall to the inner- 
most enclosure occupied by the Holy House one would 
traverse successive courts, each at a higher level than 
the last, to which arrangement the slopes of Mount 
Moriah were favorable. The courts extended as enor- 
mous platform-terraces, supported by foundations of mas- 
sive masonry, which rose vertically in some places seven 
hundred feet from the foot of the hill. 

The outer wall enclosing the entire temple area, w^hich 
approximated the form of a square, measured four hun- 
dred cubits, or one stadium, (about six hundred feet) 
along each side. The east wall, constituting the principal 



^John 2:20. 



56 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



defense of the city on that side, was unbroken by gates; 
on each of the other three sides one or more large and 
beautiful portals afforded passage through the fortress- 
like wall. The four sides of the great enclosure, imme- 
diately within the outer wall, were occupied by a series of 
magnificent porticoes, of Grecian design, fonning a cov- 
ered colonnade in which every pillar was a massive mono- 
lith of white marble. This colonnade was interrupted at 
the north-west corner, where the continuity of the wall 
was broken by the Tower of Antonia, in reality a fortified 
castle, from which a subterranean passage led into the 
inner enclosure where stood the Holy House. The col- 
onnade or line of porticoes along the south side was par- 
ticularly elaborate, and was known as the Royal Porch. 
Here were four rows of huge columns, and consequently 
three corridors, of which the inner was forty-five feet 
wide and one hundred feet high, while each of the side 
corridors measured thirty feet in width and sixty feet in 
height. The imposing effect of the Royal Porch is dwelt 
upon by Tosephus, who states that its beauty was incredi- 
ble to those who had not seen it, and amazing to those 
who beheld. 

The east colonnade or row of porticoes was known as 
Solomon's Porch,' the name having reference to a tradi- 
tion that the porch covered and included part of the orig- 
inal wall erected by the builder of the first Temple. 
Within the colonnade was a spacious area, to which general 
admission was allowed; this was the Court of the Gen- 
tiles. It was in this court that money-changers and traf- 
fickers in animals used for sacrifice had established their 
stalls at the time of our Lord's ministry, and from which 



^See John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 57 

they were expelled through His righteous indignation, the 
while He declared: "It is written, My house shall be 
called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den 
of thieves."-^ 

Between the Court of the Gentiles and the inner courts 
rose a wall twenty-five cubits high; this marked the 
boundary of the more sacred precincts within which no 
Gentile could be lawfully admitted. At intervals along 
the wall were inscription tablets, warning all who were 
not of Israel to enter not on pain of death. A literal 
translation of such inscription reads : ''Let no alien enter 
within the balustrade and embankment about the sanctu- 
ary. Whoever is caught makes himself responsible for 
his death which will follow." 

The inner courts were accessible from the Court of 
the Gentiles through nine gates, of which one was on the 
east, and four were on the north and south respectively; 
as in the earlier Temples the west wall was without a gate. 
Of these portals the principal one was on the east; this 
was an elaborate structure built of the costly Corinthian 
brass, and known as the Corinthian Gate, though some- 
times called from the name of its donor, the Gate of 
Nicanor ; furthermore this is held by many authorities to 
be the Beautiful Gate, before which sat the lame man who 
was healed through the ministrations of Peter and John.^ 

Part of the space within the inner courts was open to 
Israelites of both sexes, and was known distinctively as 
the Court of the Women. This was a colonnaded enclos- 
ure, and constituted the place of general assembly in the 
prescribed course of public worship. Chambers used for 



/Matt. 21:12-13; see also Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45; John 2:14. 
^See Acts 3:2, 10. 



58 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ceremonial purposes occupied the four corners of this 
court; and between these and the houses at the gates, 
were other buildings, of which one series constituted the 
Treasury wherein were set trumpet-shaped receptacles for 
gifts.' 

Beyond the Court of the Women and really a contin- 
uation thereof, was a section sufficiently described by 
its name, the Court of the Men; these two courts are 
sometimes referred to as one and designated the Court of 
Israel. Within this court were numerous buildings 
reserved for the storage of sacred things or devoted to 
special assemblies. Within and above the Court of 
Israel was the Court of the Priests, wherein was placed 
the great altar of sacrifice, and to which were admitted 
none but duly appointed priests and laymen who came 
to make offerings. The altar was a large structure of 
unhewn stones, forty-seven feet square at the base, and 
diminishing upward to the hearth which was a square of 
thirty-six feet. The inclined way of approach was on the 
south side.''' A laver or font, reserved for the prescribed 
ablutions of the officiating priests, stood nearby on the 
west. 

Within the Court of the Priests, on an elevation 
reached by twelve steps, stood the Holy House, the Tem- 
ple itself. In comparison with its many and massive 
outliers, this was a small edifice, but in the architectural 
plan it was made the most impressive, if not the most 
imposing feature of the whole. It has been properly de- 
scribed as "a. glittering mass of white marble and gold."" 

'See Mark 12:41-44. 

Compare Exodus 20:26. 
"See Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., art. "Temple." 



SAXCTUARIES IX EARLIER DI5PEXSATI0XS 



59 



Like the earlier Temples, this comprised Porch, Holy 
Place, and ^Nlost Holy Place or Holy of Holies. The 
Porch measured one htmdred cubits both in width and 
height. The Holy Place was forty by twenty cubits, as 
in the Temple of Zerubbabel, but its height was increased 
to forty cubits. By adding side chambers, with a passage 
between them and the main building. Herod made the 
new Temple greater and grander than either of its prede- 
cessors. The Holy of Holies retained the original form 
and dimensions, making it a cube, tT\'entv" cubits in each 
measurement. Between this and the Holy Place hung 
a double A^eiL of finest material, elaborately embroidered. 
The outer of the two A'eils was open at the north end,, the 
inner at the south : so that the high priest who entered at 
the appointed time once a year could pass between the 
veils without exposing the Holy of Holies. The sacred 
chamber was em_pty save for a large stone upon which 
the high priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood on the Day 
of Atonement : this stone occupied the place of the Ark 
and its ^lercy Seat. Outside the veil, in the Holy Place, 
stood the altar of incense, the seven-branched candlestick, 
and the table of shewbread. 

That the Temple of Herod was by far the grandest 
structure ever erected as a Temple in any age is generally 
admitted : yet its beauty and grandeur lay in architec- 
tural excellence rather than in the sanctity of its worship 
or in the manifestation of the Divine Presence within its 
walls. Its ritual and service were largely man-prescribed : 
for while the letter of the Mosaic Law was professedlv 
ob served, the law had been supplemented and in manv 
features supplanted by rule and priestly prescription. The 
Jews professed to consider it holy, and by them it was 



60 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



proclaimed as the House of the Lord. Devoid though it 
was of the Divine accompaniments of earlier shrines ac- 
cepted of God, and defiled as it was by priestly arrogance 
and usurpation, as also by the selfish interest of traffic 
and trade, it was nevertheless recognized even by our 
Lord the Christ as His Father's House." Therein the 
Boy Jesus was presented as required by the Law ;^ thereto 
came He with His people at the time of the Passover 
within its precincts He declared Himself and the Father 
who sent Him/' When at last, rejected by His own, and 
by them brought to the cross. He wrought the sacrifice 
through which salvation was made possible to man, the 
veil of the Temple was rent by an unseen power and the 
last vestige of supreme sanctity departed from the place/ 
As long as it stood, however, the Temple was held by 
the Jews in high veneration. An utterance of the Savior, 
construed by the dark-minded as an aspersion upon the 
Temple, was used against Him as one of the chief accusa- 
tions on which His death was demanded. When the Jews 
clamored for a sign of His authority He predicted His 
own death and subsequent resurrection, saying, "Destroy 
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."^ They 
blindly regarded this remark as a disrespectful allusion to 
their Temple, a structure built by human hands, and 
they refused to forget or forgive. That this veneration 
continued after the crucifixion of our Lord is evident 
from accusations brought against Stephen, and still later 
against Paul. In their murderous rage the people accused 

«Matt. 21:12; compare Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45. 
PSee Luke 2:22-38. 

9 Luke 2:42-50. See also John 2:13-23; 5:1; 12:12-20. 

^Luke 19:47; John 10:22-39. 

^Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45. 

^ John 2:19-22; see also Matt. 26:61; 27:40; Mark 14:58; 15:29. 



SANCTUARIES IN EARLIER DISPENSATIONS 61 

Stephen of disrespect for the Temple, and brought false 
witnesses who uttered perjured testimony saying, "This 
man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this 
holy place. And Stephen was numbered with the 
martyrs. When it was claimed that Paul had brought 
with him into the temple precincts, a Gentile, the whole 
city was aroused, and the infuriated mob dragged Paul 
from the place and sought to kill him.^ 

For thirty or more years after the death of Christ, the 
Jews continued the work of adding to and embellishing 
the temple buildings. The elaborate design conceived and 
projected by Herod had been practically completed; the 
Temple was well-nigh finished, and, as soon afterward 
appeared, was ready for destruction. Its fate had been 
definitely foretold by the Savior Himself. Commenting 
on a remark by one of the disciples concerning the great 
stones and the splendid buildings on the Temple hill, Jesus 
had said, ''Seest thou these great buildings ? There shall 
not be left one stone upon another that shall not be 
thrown down.""'' 

This dire prediction soon found its literal fulfilment. 
In the great conflict with the Roman legions under Titus, 
many of the Jews had taken refuge within the temple 
courts, seemingly hoping that there the Lord would again 
fight the battles of His people and give them victory. But 
the protecting presence of Jehovah had long since departed 
therefrom and Israel was left a prey to the foe. Though 
Titus would have spared the Temple, his legionaries, 
maddened by the lust of conflict, started the conflagration 



" Acts 6:13. 

^See Acts 21:26-40. 

wMark 13:1,2. See also Matt. 24:1,2; Luke 21:5,6. 



62 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and everything that could be burned was burned. The 
slaughter of the Jews was appalling; thousands of men, 
women and children were ruthlessly butchered within the 
walls, and the temple courts were literally flooded with 
human blood. This event occurred in the year 70 A. D. ; 
and according to Josephus, in the same month and on 
the same day of the month as that on which the once 
glorious Temple of Solomon had fallen a prey to the 
flames kindled by the king of Babylon.-'' Of the temple 
furniture the golden candlestick and the table of shew- 
bread from the Holy Place were carried by Titus to Rome 
as trophies of war; and representations of these sacred 
pieces are to be seen on the arch erected to the name of 
the victorious general. 

Since the destruction of the splendid Temple of Herod 
no other structure of the kind, no Temple, no House of 
the Lord as the terms are used distinctively, has been 
reared on the eastern hemisphere. Sometime between 361 
and 363 A. D. the Roman emperor Julian, surnamed 
because of his reversion from Christianity to paganism 
Julian the Apostate, attempted to reconstruct the Temple 
at Jerusalem. His purpose was not that of devotion to 
nor love for God ; but that of controverting prophecy, and 
thus proving false the Christian belief.^ So ends the 
category of Temples reared to the name of the living God 
prior to the dispensation of the fulness of times. 

'^Josephns, Wars of the Jews, Book VI; 4:5,8. For a detailed 
and graphic account of the destruction of the Temple see chap- 
ters 4 and 5 in their entirety. 

3* "He actually began excavations, but his workmen were 
driven in great panic from the spot, by terrific explosions and 
bursts of flame. The Christians regarded the occurrence as 
miraculous; and Julian himself, it is certain, was so dismayed by 
it that he desisted from the undertaking." — P. V. N. Meyers, 
General History, page 334. 



CHAPTER III 



NEED OF TEMPLES IX THE PRESENT DISPENSATION 



Among the numerous sects and churches professing 
Christianity, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints stands alone in the teaching and practise of temple 
ministration. The devotion of this people to the sacred 
labor of building temples and administering therein the 
saving ordinances of the Gospel has attracted the atten- 
tion and aroused the wonder of both philosopher and lay- 
man. It is not enough to attempt an explanation of this 
singular and stupendous sacrifice by ascribing it to as- 
sumed and unproved fanaticism ; the earnest investigator, 
the careful observer, and even the cursory reader, indeed, 
if he be honest, admits that beneath this devotion is a 
deeply-seated and an abiding faith. It cannot be affirmed 
that the Latter-day Saints build temples as monuments 
of communal wealth nor in the pride of human aggrand- 
isement : for we find them thus arduously engaged even 
while bread was scarce and clothing scant among them ; 
and throughout their history the people have looked upon 
their temples as edifices belonging to the Lord, and upon 
themselves as stewards entrusted with the custody of the 
consecrated properties. Xor can it be said that this 
Church builds temples as other sects erect chapels, 
churches, cathedrals, and synagogues; for the Church 
has the equivalent of these, and indeed the meeting-houses 
and places of public worship maintained by the Latter- 
day Saints are proportionately greater in number than 



64 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



are those of other denominations. Moreover, as already 
stated, these temples are not used as places of common 
assembly, nor as houses of general and congregational 
service. 

Why, then, does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
day Saints build and maintain temples? In answer let 
the following pertinent facts be carefully considered. 

NECESSITY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS AND ORDINANCES 
OF THE GOSPEL 

As part of its declaration of faith, the Church pro- 
claims : 

"We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all 
mankind may he saved, by obedience to the laws and ordi- 
nances of the Gospel."^ 

While professing belief in the possibility of a uni- 
versal salvation, the Church affirms that salvation is as- 
sured only on condition of individual compliance with the 
requirements established by the Redeemer, without whose 
atoning sacrifice none could be saved. The atonement 
wrought by the Christ on Calvary was a vicarious offer- 
ing, in the beneficent results of which all mankind are 
made partakers. As to redemption from the thrall of 
mortality incident to the transgression in Eden, the sacri- 
ficial death of Christ met in full the exactions incident to 
the broken law ; and none but Adam shall be held account- 
able for Adam's disobedience, nor for any results thereof. 
In the just judgment to which every mortal shall come, 
all conditions of inherited weakness, temptation due to 

(I See the author's "The Articles of Faith," Lecture i V; and 
references therein given. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



65 



environment, the capacity to choose and to act, the meas- 
ure of knowledge to which the subject has attained, the 
meed of truth he has accepted or rejected, the opportuni- 
ties he has used aright or wrongly spurned, the fidelity 
with w^hich he walked in the light or the depravity 
through which he wandered in the forbidden paths of 
darkness, — these and every other fact and circumstance 
entering into the individual life will be duly weighed and 
considered. At the bar of God the distinguishing feature 
of Divine mercy will be, as in the affairs of mortal hfe it 
now is, not an arbitrary forgiveness of sin nor unearned 
annulment of the debts of guilt, but the providing of a 
way whereby the sinner may be enabled to meet the 
requirements of the Gospel, and so in due course pass 
from the prison house of sin to the glorious freedom of a 
righteous life. 

There is but one price set on forgiveness for indi- 
vidual transgression, and this is alike to all, — to poor and 
rich, to bond and free, to illiterate and learned ; it knows 
no fluctuations, it changes not with time ; it was the same 
yesterday as today it is, and even so shall be forever, — 
and that price, at which may be bought the pearl beyond 
all price, is obedience to the laz^'s and ordinances of the 
Gospel. 

Hear this further declaration of faith taught by the 
restored Church: 

''We believe that the iirst principles and ordinances of 
the Gospel are: — (i) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) 
Repentance ; (^) Baptism by immersion for the remission of 
sins; (4) Laying-on of hands for the Gift of the Holy 
Ghostr^ 

_ *See the author's "The Articles of Faith," Lectures V— VIII 
with references therein given. 

6 



66 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the fundamental 
principle of the Gospel, the first letter in the alphabet of 
salvation with which are spelled the words of life eternal. 
Yet who can have faith in aught of which he knows noth- 
ing? Knowledge is essential to faith, and faith impels 
its possessor to seek further knowledge, and to make of 
that knowledge, wisdom, which is but knowledge applied 
and put to 'use. To preach Christ and Him crucified^ is 
the one and only way by which faith in Him may be 
taught through the medium of either precept or example. 
While knowledge and faith are thus closely associated, 
the two are not identical, nor is the one an assured out- 
growth of the other. A man may have learned the truth, 
and yet may ignore it. His knowledge, far from develop- 
ing within his soul the faith that leads to right action, may 
but add to his condemnation, for he sins without even the 
mitigation of ignorance. Evil spirits have testified of 
their knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, nevertheless they 
remain the fallen followers of Satan. As living faith 
develops within the soul of man it leads its possessor to 
seek a means whereby he may rise from the thraldom of 
sin ; and the very thought of such emancipation inspires a 
loathing for the evil contamination of the past. The 
natural fruitage of that glorious growth is repentance. 

Repentance, as a requirement made of all men, con- 
stitutes the second principle of the Gospel of Christ. It 
comprises a sincere sorrow for the sins of the past, and a 
resolute turning away therefrom with the solemn deter- 
mination to endeavor by Divine assistance to return 
thereto no more. Repentance comes as a gift from God 



cl Cor. 1:23; 2:2. 

^^See Mark 1:24; 3:11; 5:1-18; and Matt. 8:28-34. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



67 



to him who has treasured and nurtured the earher gift of 
faith. It is not to be had for the careless asking ; it may 
not be found upon the highway ; it is not of earth, but a 
treasure of heaven, and is given with care, yet with 
boundless liberality unto those who have brought forth 
works that warrant its bestowal. That is to say, all who 
prepare themselves for repentance will, by the humbling 
and softening influence of the Holy Spirit, be brought to 
the actual possession of this great gift. When Peter was 
charged by his fellow-worshippers with a breach of law in 
that he had associated with Gentiles, he told his hearers 
of the Divine manifestations he had so recently received ; 
they believed and declared 'Then hath God also to the 
Gentiles granted repentance unto life." Paul also, in 
writing to the Romans, teaches that repentance comes 
through the goodness of God.^ 

Wilful persistency in sin may lead to the loss and for- 
feiture of the ability to repent; and for man to procras- 
tinate the day of repentance is to invite and eventually to 
insure such forfeiture. The Divine word through the 
mouth of a modern prophet is thus explicit : 

"For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least 
degree of allowance; 

''Nevertheless, he that repents and does the command- 
ments of the Lord shall be forgiven ; 

"And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even 
the light which he has received, for my Spirit shall not 
always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts. 

The Latter-day Saints believe and teach that repent- 



^ Acts 11:18; Rom. 2:4; see also the author's "The Articles of 
Faith," Lecture V:19-30 and references therein given. 
/"Doctrine and Covenants 1:31-33. 



68 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ance will be possible, and indeed required of the yet unre- 
pentant, even after death; and they affirm that this doc- 
trine is supported by scripture both ancient and modern. 
We read that while the body of our Lord lay in the tomb, 
between the evening of the day of crucifixion and the 
glorious resurrection morn, He was engaged in minis- 
terial labor in the world of disembodied spirits. Peter 
specifically declares that our Lord "went and preached 
unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were dis- 
obedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in 
the days of Noah."^ The context with which appear 
these words of the inspired apostle, shows that the event 
referred to occurred prior to the Savior's resurrection. 
Furthermore, it will be remembered that one of the con- 
demned malefactors, whose cross of death stood alongside 
that of Jesus, manifested faith and even some degree of 
repentance, and received fromi the suffering Christ the 
benediction and assurance "Today shalt thou be with me 
in Paradise."^ It cannot be maintained that this promise 
implied the passing of the repentant sinner directly from 
the cross into Heaven — the abode of the redeemed in the 
presence of God ; for surely there had been no opportunity 
for the suffering penitent to put his repentance into effect 
by complying with the established laws and ordinances of 
the Gospel, and without such compliance, even as to the 
single requirement of water-baptism alone, the man could 
neither enter nor see the Kingdom of God, or the word of 
Christ would have been proven false. ^ Moreover, as 
conclusive proof of the fact that between the time of 
Christ's death and resurrection, neither He nor the con- 



sl Peter 3:19-20; compare 4:6. 
^ See Luke 23:39-43. 
Consider our Lord's declaration to Nicodemus, John 3:1-5. 



PRESENT XEED OF TEMPLES 



69 



trite sinner had gone to the abode of God. we have the 
words of the Risen Lord to the sorrowing Alagdalene : 
''I am not yet ascended to my Father."-'' 

In view of scriptural affirmation that the disembodied 
Christ did visit and minister among the spirits who had 
been disobedient, and vdio. because of unpardoned sin 
were stih held in duress, it is pertinent to inquire as to the 
scope and object of our Savior's ministry among them.. 
His preaching must have been purposeful and positive : 
moreover, it is not to be assumed that His message was 
other than one of relief and mercy. Those to whom He 
went were already in prison, and had been there long. 
To them came the Redeemer, to preach, not to further 
condemn, to open the way that led to light, not to inten- 
sify the darkness of despair in which they languished. 
Had not that A'isit of deliverance been long predicted? 
Centuries before that fateful time Isaiah had prophesied 
of proud and wicked spirits : "And they shall be gathered 
together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be 
shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be 
visited."^ And again, referring to the appointed ministry 
of the Christ, the same inspired voice of prophecy de- 
clared part of that work to be "to open the blind eyes, to 
bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit 
in darkness out of the prison house. David, filled with 
the emotions of contrition and hope, sang in measures of 
mingled sadness and joy: "Therefore my heart is glad, 
and miy glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 
For thou wilt not leave mv soul in hell."'"' 



/John 20:17. 
^ Isaiah 24:22. 
Isaiah 42:6, 7. 
Psalms 16:9-10. 



70 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



From these and other scriptures we learn that the 
ministry of Christ was not confined to the few who lived 
in mortality during the short period of His earthly life, 
nor to them and the generations then future; but to all, 
dead, living, and yet unborn. It cannot be denied that 
myriads had lived and died before the meridian of time, 
and of these multitudes, as of the many since born, un- 
numbered hosts have died without a knowledge of the 
Gospel and its prescribed plan of salvation. What is their 
condition, as indeed what shall be the state of the present 
inhabitants of earth, and of the multitudes yet future, 
who shall die in ignorance and without the faith that 
saves? Let us ask again, how can those who know not 
Christ have faith in Him, and how, while lacking both 
knowledge and faith can they avail themselves of the 
provision made for their salvation? 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
affirms that the plan of salvation is not bounded by the 
grave; but that the Gospel is deathless and everlasting, 
reaching back into the ages that have gone, and for- 
ward into the eternities of the future. The ministry 
of the Savior among the dead doubtless included the 
revelation of His own atoning death, the inculcation of 
faith in Himself and in the divinely-appointed plan He 
represented, and the necessity of a repentance acceptable 
unto God. It is reasonable to believe that the other 
essential requirem.ents comprised within the lazvs and 
ordinances of the Gospel were made known. 

To the less thoughtful reader it may appear that to 
teach the possibility of repentance beyond the grave may 
tend to weaken belief in the absolute necessity of re- 
pentance and reformation in this life. A careful con- 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



71 



sideration of the matter, however, will shoAv that this 
doctrine affords no reason for such objection. To reject 
or ignore in any degree a gift of God is to forfeit to the 
corresponding extent one's claim upon that gift. To the 
soul that has wilfully neglected the opportunities for 
repentance here offered, repentance in the hereafter may 
be, and indeed it is reasonable to beHeve will be, so 
difficult as to be long unattainable. This conception is 
justified by scripture, as witness the words of Amulek, 
a Nephite prophet, who thus admonished the Church on 
the western continent four score years before the birth 
of Christ: 

''For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to 
meet God; ^-^ therefore, I beseech of you, that ye 

do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the 
end ; 'i' * * Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that 
awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. 
Nay, ye cannot say this ; for that same spirit which doth 
possess your bodies at the tim.e that ye go out of this life, 
that same spirit will have power to possess your body in 
that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated 
the day of your repentance, even until death, behold, ye have 
become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal 
you his."** 

Baptism by water is taught by the Church in this dis- 
pensation as an essential ordinance of the Gospel. Bap- 
tism is the gateway leading into the fold of Christ, the 
portal to the Church, the established rite of naturaliza- 
tion in the Kingdom of God. The candidate for admis- 
sion into the Church, having obtained and professed faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and having sincerely repented 
of his sins, is properly required to give evidence of this 
spiritual sanctification by som.e outward ordinance, pre- 



" Book of :^Iormon, Alma 34:32-35. 



72 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



scribed by authority as the sign or symbol of the new 
profession. The initiatory ordinance is baptism by water, 
to be followed by the higher baptism of the Holy Spirit; 
and, as a result of this act of obedience, remission of sins 
is granted.'' 

That baptism is essential to salvation is attested by 
many specific scriptures ; yet even without such its es- 
sentiality appears in view of the unconditional require- 
ment of repentance, and the evident fact that to be of 
value and effect repentance must imply obedience to the 
Divine requirements, which include baptism by water. 
Be it remembered that Jesus, the Christ, though un- 
touched by the taint of sin, submitted in person to this 
ordinance, which was administered by the Baptist in the 
waters of Jordan. The burden of John's teaching was 
''Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and 
to such as came to him professing repentance he admin- 
istered baptism by water immersion. Then came Jesus 
unto John, to be baptized of him; and the Baptist, re- 
garding Him as one without sin, demurred, saying: 

"I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to 
me? 

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so 
now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. 
Then he suffered him. 

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway 
out of the water : and, lo, the heavens were opened unto 
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, 
and lighting upon him : 

''And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased."^ 

o"The Articles of Faith," Lecture VI :1. For a general treat- 
ment of Baptism see Lectures VI and VII. 
PMatt. 3:13-17. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



73 



It is evident from the foregoing that the baptism of 
Jesus was acceptable unto the Father, and was by Him 
characterized as an act of humility and obedience on the 
part of the Son, with which He vvas well pleased. Some 
time after His own baptism Jesus affirmed, in words at 
once forceful and unequivocal, that baptism is required 
of all men as a condition of entrance into the kingdom of 
God. To Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews, who came 
by night professing some measure of faith, Jesus said: 
''Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of 
Vv^ater and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of God."^ When in the resurrected state He manifested 
Himself to the apostles. He instructed them by way of 
final and special commission: ''Go ye therefore, and 
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.""" The 
necessity and purpose of the ordinance appear in His 
further words on the same solemn occasion : "He that 
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that 
believeth not shall be damned."-^ 

The Apostles, inspired by that Divine commission, 
ceased not to teach the necessity of baptism, even as long 
as their ministry endured among mortals.^ 

The elders of the Church in the present dispensation 
have been directed and empowered by the same authority, 
and almost in the sam.e words : "Go ye into all the world, 
preach the Gospel to every creature, acting in the au- 
thority which I have given you, baptizing in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and 

? See John 3:1-7. 
''Matt. 28:19. 
^Mark 16:16. 

^See Acts 2:38; 9:1-18; 10:30-48; 22:1-16; I Peter 3:21. 



74 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



he that beHeveth and is baptized shall be saved, and he 
that believeth not shall be damned."" On another oc- 
casion the Lord added, in a revelation through the mod- 
ern prophet, Joseph Smith : ''Therefore, as I said unto 
mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who 
believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the 
remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost." And 
further, ''Verily, verily, I say unto you they who believe 
not on your words, and are not baptized in water, in my 
name, for the remission of their sins, that they may 
receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not 
come into my Father's kingdom, where my Father and 
I am."^ 

The Gift of the Holy Ghost follows baptism by water, 
and its authoritative bestowal constitutes the next essen- 
tial ordinance of the Gospel.^ In both ancient and mod- 
ern times this endowment has been regarded as a higher 
baptism, lacking vv^hich the baptism of water is incomplete. 
John, distinctively known as the Baptist, so taught on the 
very eve of our Savior's personal ministry. Consider well 
his words : "I indeed baptize you with water unto re- 
pentance : but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, 
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : he shall baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."^ John testifies 
further that the One who should thus inaugurate the 
higher baptism was Jesus, Himself. Not until after he 
had administered the ordinance of water baptism to Jesus, 
did John recognize Him as the Christ; but immediately 

"Doctrine and Covenants 68:8, 9. 

^Doctrine and Covenants, 84:64, 74; see also 112:28, 29. 
^ See "The Articles of Faith," Lecture VIII. 
^Matt. 3:11; compare Mark 1:7, 8; Luke 3:16. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



75 



after that recognition, the Baptist fearlessly proclaimed 
his testimony : 

"Behold the Lamb of God ^ ^ ^ This is he of 
whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred 
before me ^ ^ And I knew him not : but he that sent 
me to baptize with water, the same said unto me. Upon 
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining 
on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy 
Ghost."^ 

Jesus repeatedly promised the apostles that the "Com- 
forter" or the "Spirit of Truth"^ should be given unto 
them; and this assurance was made specific and final 
immediately prior to the ascension. He "commanded 
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but 
wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye 
have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; 
but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many 
days hence. * >k Ye shall receive power, after that 
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be wit- 
nesses unto me."'^ The promise was fulfilled at the suc- 
ceeding Pentecost when the apostles received power never 
before know to them, the endowment being marked by an 
outward manifestation of fiery tongues.^ The apostles 
thereafter promised the Holy Ghost to those who sought 
salvation. Peter's exhortation to the multitude, on that 
same memorable day of Pentecost, is particularly explicit 
and forceful. In answer to the inquiry, "Men and breth- 
ren, what shall w^e do ?" the chief of the apostles replied : 

y Tohn 1:29-33. 

^John 14:16,17,26; 15:26; 16:7,13. 
« Acts 1:4, 5, 8. 
& Acts 2:1-4. 



76 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Ghost."'^ 

A similar assurance as to the higher endowment of 
the Holy Ghost following the ordinance of water-baptism 
was made by Nephite prophets,'^ and by the resurrected 
Christ in His visit to the people of the western continent/ 
And later still this has been repeated through the Church 
in the current dispensation, that of the fulness of times : 
''I say unto you again," said the Lord in a revelation to 
certain elders of the Church, "that every soul who be- 
lieveth on your words, and is baptized by water for the 
remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost. 

By way of summary let it be repeated : The Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds as a funda- 
mental doctrine, attested and proved by scripture both 
ancient and modern, that compliance with the lazvs and 
ordinances of the Gospel is an absolute and irrevocable 
requirement for admission into the Kingdom of God, or 
in other words, for the securing of individual salvation 
to the souls of men, and that this requirement is uni- 
versal, applying alike to every soul that has attained to 
age and powers of accountability in the flesh, in whatever 
period or dispensation that soul has lived in mortality. 
It follows as a necessary consequence that if any soul has 
failed, either through ignorance or neglect, to render 
obedience to these requirements, the obligation is not 
removed by death. 

e Acts 2:37, 38. 

For an instance, see Book of Mormon, II Nephi 31:8, 12- 
14, 17. 

^III Nephi 11:35; 12:2. 
/'Doctrine and Covenants 84:64. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



77 



VICARIOUS SERVICE OF THE LIVING FOR THE DEAD 

A question now arises as to how it is possible for the 
dead to comply with the terms of the Gospel and do in 
the spirit what they had failed to do in the flesh. The 
exercise of faith and the manifestation of repentance by 
disembodied spirits may offer no great difficulty to human 
understanding; but that the dead shall obey the ordi- 
nances of the Gospel requiring water-baptism and the 
baptism of the Spirit by the authorized laying-on of 
hands, appears to many as truly impossible as seemed 
the new birth to Nicodemus. He listened in amazement 
to the Savior's words : ''Except a man be born again he 
cannot see the kingdom of God;" and asked: "How can 
a man be born when he is old ? Can he enter the second 
time into his mother's womb, and be born?" At last he 
learned that the new birth referred to was baptism by 
water and the baptism of the Spirit. AVith equal per- 
tinency it m.ay now be asked : How can a man be bap- 
tized when he is dead ? Can he enter the second time into 
his body of flesh and be immersed in water by human 
agency? The answer is that the necessary ordinances 
may be performed for the dead by their living repre- 
sentatives, the mortal subject acting as proxy for the 
departed one. Thus, even as a man may be baptized in 
his own person for himself, he may be baptized as proxy 
for and in behalf of the dead. 

The validity of vicarious service, in which one person 
acts in behalf of another, is generally recognized as 
an element of human institutions ; and that such service 
may be acceptable unto God is attested by the written 
word. Ancient and modern scripture, the record of 



78 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



history other than sacred, the traditions of tribes and 
nations, the rites of bloody sacrifice, and even the 
sacrificial abominations of pagan idolatry, involve the 
essential conception of vicarious propitiation and of 
service rendered by proxy. The scape-goat^ and the 
altar victim^ in the Mosaic dispensation, when offered by 
constituted authority and with due accompaniment of 
acknowledgment and repentance, were accepted by the 
Lord as sacrifices in mitigation of the sins of His people. 

The most significant sacrifice of all, the greatest work 
ever wrought amongst mankind, the pivotal event in 
human history, the supreme achievement which was at 
once the most glorious consummation and the most 
blessed beginning, is the Atonement of Christ; and this 
was pre-eminently a vicarious offering. No one who 
believes that Jesus died for man can doubt the validity 
and efficacy of vicarious ministration. He gave His life 
as a fore-ordained sacrifice, voluntarily offered and duly 
accepted as a propitiation for broken law, and the means 
by which salvation was made possible unto man. That 
His death was literally an accepted offering in behalf 
of human kind is thus set forth in the words of the 
resurrected Christ, given through modern revelation: 

''For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, 
that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they 
would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffer- 
ing caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble 
because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer 
both body and spirit : and would that I might not drink the 
bitter cup and shrink — nevertheless, glory be to the Father, 



^Lev. 16:20-22. 
^ Lev. chap. 4. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



79 



and I partook and finished my preparations unto the chil- 
dren of men."'' 

The vicarious effect of the atonement of Christ is 
twofold; it has wrought a universal redemption of all 
men from the mortal death incident to the transgression 
of Adam; and it has provided a means of propitiation 
for individual sin whereby the sinner may attain sal- 
vation through obedience. It is by His mortal life and 
sacrificial death in behalf of others, — and those others, all 
who have lived or shall live, — that Jesus the Christ earned 
His title, Savior and Redeemer of mankind. And as 
He by effort, sacrifice, and suffering, did for men what 
they never could accomplish for themselves, and so be- 
came in very truth the one and only Savior and Redeemer 
of the race, so may each of us by opening the way to 
our departed dead whereby they may be brought within 
the saving law of the Gospel, become in a small measure 
saviors unto those who would otherwise be left in dark- 
ness.-' 

In every instance of vicarious ministration, it is an 
indispensable requisite that the proxy be worthy and 
acceptable ; and of necessity he must himself have obeyed 
the laws and ordinances of the Gospel before he can 
officiate in behalf of others. Further, the ministrations 
of the living representative must be in accordance with 
Divine appointment, and in no wise a merely human 
assumption. The acceptable sacrifices of ancient Israel 
were such as had been definitely specified and minutely 
prescribed; and the sacrificial rites could be solemnized 
only by authorized priests. The supreme sacrifice im 



♦Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19. 

/See Obadiah 21; I Timothy 4:16: James 5:20. 



80 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



volved in the atoning death of Christ was as truly ap- 
pointed and fore-ordained. Prophets, through the long 
centuries antedating the Christian era, predicted the birth, 
life, and death of our Lord as already provided for;'' 
and these prophecies were confirmed by Jesus Himself.^ 
Consider also the testimony of the apostles to the same 
effect. Peter specifically designates Christ as "a Lamb 
without blemish and without spot: who verily was fore- 
ordained before the foundation of the world. The 
designation ''Lamb" is indicative of a sacrificial victim. 
Paul in writing to the Romans characterizes our Lord 
as the one ''Whom God hath set forth to be a propitia- 
tion through faith in his blood, to declare his righteous- 
ness for the remission of sins that are past."" 

The Latter-day Saints affirm that their vicarious 
work in behalf of the dead is required of them by the 
call of the Lord through direct revelation; and that it 
becomes the duty and privilege of every individual who 
accepts the Gospel and enters the Church to labor for 
the salvation of his dead. He is expected and required 
by the obligations and responsibility he has assumed 
as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, so to live 
as to be a worthy representative of his departed an- 
cestors, in holy ordinance, and to be of clean life, that 
he may not forfeit his right to enter the sacred confines 
of the Lord's House, where alone he may officiate in 
that privileged capacity. 

Let it not be assumed that this doctrine of vicarious 

k Deut. 18:15, 17-19; Job 19:25-27; Psalms 2:1-12; Zech. 9:9; 
12:10; 13:6; Isa. 7:14; 9:6,7; Micah 5:2. 
' See Luke 24:27, 45, 46. 
^ I Peter 1:19, 20. 

«Rom. 3:25. See further Rom. 16:25, 26; Eph. 3:9-11; Col. 1: 
24-26; II Tim. 1:8-10; Titus 1:2, 3; Rev. 13:8. 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



81 



labor for the dead implies even remotely, that the ad- 
ministration of ordinances in behalf of departed spirits 
operates in any manner to interfere with the right of 
choice and the exercise of free agency on their part. 
They are at liberty to accept or reject the ministrations 
in their behalf; and so they will accept or reject, in 
accordance with their converted or unregenerate state, 
even as is the case with mortals to whom the Gospel 
message may come. Though baptism be duly admin- 
istered to a living man in behalf of a dead ancestor, that 
spirit will derive no immediate advancement nor any 
benefit therefrom if he has not yet attained faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ or if he be still unrepentant. Even 
as Christ offered salvation to all, though few there be 
who accept in the flesh, so temple ordinances may be 
administered for many in the realm of the departed v/ho 
are not yet prepared to profit thereby. 

It is evident, therefore, that labor in behalf of the 
dead is two-fold; that performed on earth would remain 
incomplete and futile but for its supplement and counter- 
part beyond the veil. Missionary work is in progress 
there — work, compared with which the evangelistic labor 
of earth is but a small undertaking. There are preachers 
and teachers, ministers invested with the Holy Priest- 
hood, all engaged in declaring the glad tidings of the 
Gospel to spirits who have not yet found the light. As 
has been shown, this great labor amongst the dead was 
inaugurated by Jesus the Christ, during the brief period of 
His disembodiment." The saving ministry so begun was 
left to be continued by others duly authorized and com- 
missioned ; even as the work of preaching the Gospel 



0 See pages 68-70. 
7 



82 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and administering therein amongst the Hving was com- 
mitted to the apostles in the Church of old. 

AUTHORITY TO LABOR IN BEHALF OF THE DEAD 

In the closing chapter of the compilation of scriptures 
known to us as the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi 
thus describes a condition incident to the last days, im- 
mediately preceding the second coming of Christ: 

"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven ; 
and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be 
stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith 
the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor 
branch. 

''But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of right- 
eousness arise with healing in his wings." 

The fateful prophecy concludes with the following 
blessed and far-reaching promise : 

''Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the 
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord : 

"And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- 
dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I 
come and smite the earth with a curse. 

It has been held by theologians and Bible commen- 
tators that this prediction had reference to the birth and 
ministry of John the Baptist,^ upon whom rested the 
spirit and power of Elias.'' However, we have no record 
of Elijah having ministered unto the Baptist, and further- 



P See Malachi 4:1, 2, 5, 6. 

9 Compare Matt. 11:14; 17:11; Mark 9:11; Luke 1:17. 
''Luke 1:17. 



PRESENT XEED OF TEMPLES 



83 



more, the latter's ministry, glorious though it was, jus- 
tifies no conclusion that in him did the prophecy find its 
full realization. In addition, it should be remembered, 
that the Lord's declaration through ]\Ialachi, relative 
to the day of burning in which the wicked would be 
destroyed as stubble, yet awaits fulfilment. It is evi- 
dent, therefore, that the commonly accepted interpre- 
tation is at fault, and that we must look to a later date 
than the time of John for the fulfilment of ]\Ialachi's 
prediction. The later occasion has come : it belongs to 
the present dispensation, and marks the inauguration of 
a work specially reserved for the Church in these latter 
days. In the course of a glorious manifestation to Joseph 
Smith and Oliver Cowdery, in the Temple at Kirtland, 
Ohio, April 3rd, 1836, there appeared unto them Elijah, 
the prophet of old, who had been taken from earth while 
still in the body. He declared unto them: 

"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of 
by the mouth of ]Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah ) should 
be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, 
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the 
children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with 
a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensation are com- 
mitted into your hands, and by this ye may know that the 
great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the 
doors."-' 

One of the fundamental principles underlying the 
doctrine of salvation for the dead, is that of the mutual 
dependence of the fathers and the children. Eamily 
lineage and the sequence of generations in each par- 
ticular line of descent are facts, and cannot be changed 



•5 Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16. 



84 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



by death; on the other hand it is evident from the 
olden scriptures already cited, and attested by the equally 
sure word of modern revelation, that the family rela- 
tionships of earth are recognized in the spirit world. 
Neither the children nor the fathers, neither progeni- 
tors nor descendants, can alone attain perfection; and 
the requisite co-operation is effected through baptism 
and related ordinances, administered to the living in 
behalf of the dead. 

In this way and through this work are the hearts of 
the fathers and those of the children turned toward 
each other. As the living children learn that without 
their ancestors they cannot attain a perfect status in 
the eternal world, their own faith will be strengthened 
and they will be willing to labor for the redemption 
and salvation of their dead. And the dead, learning 
through the preaching of the Gospel in their world, 
that they are dependent upon their descendants as vi- 
carious saviors, will turn with loving faith and prayer- 
ful effort toward their children yet living. 

This uniting of the interests of fathers and children 
is a part of the necessary preparation for the yet future 
advent of the Christ as ruling King and Lord of earth. 
Joseph Smith thus taught: 

''The earth will be smitten with a curse, unless there is a 
welding link of some kind or other, between the fathers and 
the children, upon some subject or other, and behold what 
is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we 
without them cannot be made perfect ; neither can they with- 
out us be made perfect."^ 



^Doctrine and Covenants 128:18. 



PRESENT XEED OF TEMPLES 



85 



The Church today cites as authority for its admin- 
istration of ordinances in behalf of the dead, the special 
bestowal of this power and office through the ministry 
of Elijah; and furthermore, the Church holds that 
the giving of that power marked the fulfilment of 2vlal- 
achi's portentous prediction. There appears an elem.ent 
of particular fitness in the fact that the minister through 
whom this great work has been inaugurated in the pres- 
ent dispensation, is none other than Elijah, — who, not 
having passed the portals of death, held a peculiar and 
special relation to both the dead and the living. As to 
the fidelity with which the Church has served under 
this special commission, the temples it has reared with 
such sacrifice and self-denial on the part of its devoted 
adherents, and the ordinance work already performed 
therein, are sufficient proof. 

The importance with which the Latter-day Saints 
regard their temple work in behalf of the dead natur- 
ally produces among this people a vital interest in the 
genealogical records of their respective families. Ordi- 
nance work in the temples, in behalf of any departed 
person, can be done only as that person may be de- 
scribed on the record, as to name, relationship, time 
and place of birth and death, etc., by which data he 
may be fully and certainly isolated and identified." It 
is a matter of common knowledge that interest in gen- 
ealogical research has greatly increased in the United 
States and in Europe during the last seven or eight 
decades. Genealogical societies have been formed, and 
individual investigators have devoted great treasures of 
time and money to the compilation of records showing 



"See Doctrine and Covenants 128:5-8. 



86 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



numerous lines of family descent and the many ramifi- 
cations of complicated relationship. In all this work 
the Latter-day Saints profess to see the operation of 
an over-ruling power, by which their service for the 
dead is facilitated. 

TEMPLES REQUIRED FOR VICARIOUS SERVICE 

While the ordinances of baptism, imposition of hands 
for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, and others, such 
as orchnation to the Priesthood, may be performed upon 
the living in any suitable and proper place, the corre- 
sponding ordinances for and in behalf of the dead are 
acceptable unto the Lord, and therefore valid, only when 
administered in places specially provided, set apart, and 
dedicated for these and kindred purposes; that is to say, 
such ordinances belong exclusively to the House of the 
Lord. For a very brief period only, and that the earli- 
est in modern Church history, before the people had 
opportunity to erect temples, did the Lord graciously 
accept a temporary sanctuary, even as He accepted the 
Tabernacle of old as a temporary temple during the 
period of Israel's wanderings. 

In a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the prophet, 
at Nauvoo, Illinois, January 19th, 1841, the Lord called 
upon His people to build a house to His name ''for the 
Most High to dwell therein," and added by way of 
explanation and instruction : 

"For there is not a place found on earth that he may 
come and restore again that which was lost unto you, or 
which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the Priest- 
hood ; 



PRESENT NEED OF TEMPLES 



87 



"For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that 
they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead ; 

"For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot 
be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, 
wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me. 

"But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house 
unto me ; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a 
house unto me, and during this time your baptisms shall be 
acceptable unto me. 

"But behold, at the end of this appointment, your bap- 
tisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me ; and if 
you do not these things at the end of the appointment, ye 
shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord 
your God. 

"For verily I say unto you, that after you have had suf- 
ficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of 
baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same 
was instituted from before the foundation of the world, 
your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me, 

"For therein are the keys of the holy Priesthood, or- 
dained that you may receive honor and glory. 

"And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by 
those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, 
saith the Lord ; 

"For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her Stakes, and 
in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for 
refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead. 

"And again, verily I say unto you. How shall your wash- 
ings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a 
house which you have built to my name ? 

"For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should 
build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the 
wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that 
those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from 
before the world was ; 

"Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, 
and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and 
your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacri- 



88 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



fices, by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most 
holy places, wherein you receive conversations, and your 
statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations 
and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and en- 
dowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordi- 
nance of my holy house which my people are always com- 
manded to build unto my holy name. 

''And verily I say unto you, Let this house be built unto 
my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein, unto 
my people; 

"For I deign to reveal unto my church, things which 
have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, 
things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of 
times. 



This then is sufficient answer to the question as to 
why the Latter-day Saints build and maintain temples. 
They have been instructed and required so to do by the 
Lord of Hosts. They have learned that many essential 
ordinances of the Church are acceptable only when per- 
formed in temples specially erected and reserved for the 
purpose. They know that within these precincts of 
sanctity the Lord has revealed many great and impor- 
tant things pertaining to the Kingdom of God; and that 
He has promised to reveal yet more to man in houses 
sacred to His name. They have learned that a great 
part of the mission and ministry of the restored Church 
is the administration of vicarious ordinances in behalf 
of the unnumbered dead who never heard the tidings 
of the Gospel, and that for such sacred and saving ser- 
vice 

Temples are a necessity. 
Doctrine and Covenants 124:28-41. Read the entire section. 



CHAPTER :V 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 

A more detailed consideration of modern temple ser- 
vice now claims our attention. The ceremonial work 
comprises : 

1. Baptism, specifically Baptism for the Dead. 

2. Ordination and associated Endowments in the 
Priesthood. % 

3. Marriage Ceremonies. 

4. Other Sealing Ordinances. 

As will be understood from what has been already 
written, each of these ceremonies or ordinances may 
be performed either for the living, present in person, or 
for the dead who are represented each by an individual 
living proxy. The living are but few compared with the 
dead ; and it follows of necessity that the ordinance-work 
for the departed exceeds by a great preponderance that 
done for the living. The temples of today are maintained 
largely for the benefit and salvation of the uncounted 
dead. 

BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD 

As demonstrated in the preceding pages, the law of 
baptism is of universal application ; in short, baptism is 
required of all who have lived to the age of accounta- 
bility. Only those who die in infancy are exempt. Chil- 
dren, having no sin to expiate, and being unable to com- 



90 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



prehend the nature of the baptismal obhgation, are not to 
be baptized while living, nor is the ordinance to be per- 
formed for them should they die before reaching a 
responsible age and state. As to the child's part in the 
heritage of mortality incident to the transgression of 
Adam, the atonement of Christ is of full effect, and the 
redemption of the child is assured.'^ Regarding the 
general applicability of the law prescribing baptism as 
essential to salvation, the scriptures make no distinction 
between the living and the dead. The atoning sacrifice 
of Christ was offered, not only for the few who lived upon 
the earth while He was in the flesh, nor for those alone 
who were born in mortality after His death, but for all 
inhabitants of earth then past, present, and future. He 
was ordained of the Father to be a judge of both quick 
and dead;^ He is Lord alike of living and dead,^ as men 
speak of dead and living, though all live unto Him.'^ 

Among the pernicious dogmas taught by a perverted 
and mis-called Christianity, is the heinous doctrine that 
never-ending punishment or interminable bliss, unchang- 
ing in kind or degree, shall be the destiny of every soul, — 
the award being made according to the condition of that 
soul at the time of bodily death ; a life of sin being thus 
nullified by a death-bed repentance, and a life of honor, 
if unmarked by the ceremonies of established sects, being 
followed by the tortures of hell without a possibility of 
relief. Such a dogma is to be ranked with the dread 

« For a concise treatment of Infant Baptism, see the author's 
"The Articles of Faith," Lecture VI, 13-17; and for treatment of 
Baptism for the Dead, see Lecture VII, 18-33. 

^' Acts 10:42; II Tim. 4:1; I Peter 4:5. 

fRom. 14:9. 

<^Luke 20:36, 38. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



91 



heresy which proclaims the condemnation of innocent 
babes who have not been sprinkled by man's assumed 
authority. In the justice of God no soul shall be finally 
condemned under a law of which he has had no chance to 
learn. True, eternal punishment has been decreed as the 
lot of the wicked ; but the real meaning of the punishment 
so decreed has been made known by the Lord Himself.^ 
Eternal punishment is God's punishment ; endless punish- 
ment is His; for ''Endless" and ''Eternal" are among His 
names, and the words are descriptive of His attributes. 
No soul will be punished for sin beyond the time requisite 
to work the needed reformation and to vindicate justice, 
for which ends alone punishment is imposed. And no one 
will be eligible to enter any kingdom of glory in the abode 
of the blessed to which he is not entitled through obedi- 
ence to law. 

It follows as a plain necessity that the Gospel must 
be proclaimed in the spirit world ; and that such ministry 
is provided for, the scriptures abundantly prove. Peter, 
defining the mission of the Redeemer, thus declares this 
solemn truth : "For this cause was the gospel preached 
also to them that are dead, that they might be judged 
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God 
in the spirit."^ As already shown, the inauguration of 
this work among the dead was wrought by Christ in the 
interval between His death and resurrection. 

In his first epistle to the Saints in Corinth, Paul pre- 
sents a brief yet comprehensive treatment of the doctrine 
of the resurrection, — a subject which at that time and 
among those to whom he wrote, had given rise to much 

'Doctrine and Covenants 19: 10-12. 
fl Peter 4:6. 



92 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



contention and debate;^ and, having shown that through 
Christ the resurrection of the dead had been made possi- 
ble, and that in due course aU mankind shall be redeemed 
from bodily death, the apostle asks, "Else what shall they 
do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not 
at all? why then are they baptized for the dead?"^^ As 
the question is put by way of finality and climax to the 
preceding argument, it is evident that the subject so intro- 
duced was no new or strange doctrine, but on the con- 
trary, one with w^hich the people addressed must have 
been familiar, and which to them required no argument. 
Baptism for the dead was, therefore, both known as a 
principle and practised as an ordinance in apostolic times. 
That the practise was continued in some form for a cen- 
tury or more after the apostles had passed from the earth 
is evidenced by numerous passages in the writings of the 
early Christian Fathers, and by later authorities on eccle- 
i»^iastical history. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pro- 
claims the present as the dispensation of the fulness of 

si Cor. chap. 15; see specifically verse 29. 
This passage has been the subject of much controversy. Dr. 
Adam Clarke, in his masterly Commentary of the Scriptures, 
says: "This is certainly the most difficult verse in the New Tes- 
tament; for, notwithstanding the greatest and wisest men have 
labored to explain it, there are to this day nearly as many dif- 
ferent interpretations of it as there are interpreters." Yet, not- 
withstanding its enigmatic meaning, this passage of scripture is 
part of the prescribed burial service in the Episcopal Church, and 
is duly spoken by the priest at every funeral. But wherein lies 
the difficulty of comprehension? The passage is of plain im- 
port, and only when we attempt to make it figurative do diffi- 
culties arise. It is plain that in Paul's day the ordinance of bap- 
tism for the dead was both understood and practised, and the 
apostle's argument in support of the doctrine of a literal resur- 
rection is sound: If the dead rise not at all, why then are they 
baptized for the dead? 



MODERX TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



93 



times, in which shall be gathered and re-established all 
the saving principles and essential ordinances of earlier 
dispensations, and during which the great plan of uni- 
versal redemption shall be fully revealed. The Church, 
therefore, provides for the actual work of baptism for the 
dead, and in the temples of today this sacred labor is in 
uninterrupted progress. As will be seen, each of the tem- 
ples is provided with a baptismal font, with every neces- 
sary proA'ision for the administration of this ordinance.* 
The rite of water-baptism in behalf of the dead 
is followed by that of the laying-on of hands for the 
bestowal of the Holy Ghost ; and in this as in the pre- 
ceding, the dead person is represented by the living proxy. 
The im.position of hands for the conferring of the gift 
of the Holy Ghost constitutes the higher baptism of the 
Spirit required alike of all, and includes the rite of con- 
firmation by which the person becomes a member of the 
Church of Christ. In ah essentials the ordinances of bap- 
tism and confirmation are identical, whether administered 
to the living for themselves or as proxy for the dead. As 
these ordinances are administered in existing temples it is 
required that, beside the recorder and the officiating elder, 
two witnesses be present, and that they attest the cere- 
mony as duly performed. 

ORDINATION AND ENDOWMENT 

Water-baptism, and the higher baptism of the Spirit 
by the authorized imposition of hands for the conferring 
of the Holy Ghost, constitute the two fundamental ordi- 
nances of the Gospel. The repentant soul who has thus 



'Read Doctrine and Covenants 128:12, 13. 



94 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



entered the Church of Christ may afterward attain to 
position and authority in the Holy Priesthood — not as an 
earthly honor, not as a title of personal aggrandizement, 
not as a symbol of power to rule and possibly to oppress, 
— but as an endowment bespeaking authority and the 
express responsibility to use that authority in the service 
of his fellows and to the glory of God. In the temple 
service, the man who appears as proxy for his dead rela- 
tive must be ordained to the Priesthood before he can 
pass beyond the baptismal font. 

It is a precept of the Church that women of the 
Church share the authority of the Priesthood with their 
husbands, actual or prospective; and therefore women, 
whether taking the endowment for themselves or for the 
dead, are not ordained to specific rank in the Priesthood. 
Nevertheless there is no grade, rank, or phase of the tem- 
ple endowment to which women are not eligible on an 
equality with men. True, there are certain of the higher 
ordinances to which an unmarried woman cannot be ad- 
mitted, but the rule is equally in force as to a bachelor. 
The married state is regarded as sacred, sanctified, and 
holy in all temple procedure ; and within the House of the 
Lord the woman is the equal and the help-meet of the 
man. In the privileges and blessings of that holy place, 
the utterance of Paul is regarded as a scriptural decree in 
full force and effect: "Neither is the man without the 
woman, neither the woman without the man, in the 
Lord."^' 

Faith and sincere repentance, followed first by water- 
baptism and then by the laying-on of hands for the be- 
stowal of the Holy Ghost, are the prescribed means of 



n Cor. 11:11. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



95 



admission into the Church of Christ and prospective sal- 
vation in the Kingdom of God. But there is a distinction 
between salvation and exaltation. At this point it may 
be well to consider this distinction, and to set forth the 
doctrines of the restored Church as to the graded degrees 
of exaltation beyond the grave. ^ 

Salvation and Exaltation: — Some degree of salvation 
will come to all who have not forfeited their right to it; 
exaltation is given to those only who by active labors 
have won a claim to God's merciful liberality by which it 
is bestowed. Of the saved, not all will be exalted to the 
higher glories ; rewards will not be bestowed in violation 
of justice ; punishments will not be meted out to the ignor- 
ing of mercy's claims. No one can be admitted to any 
order of glory, in short, no soul can be saved, until justice 
has been satisfied for violated law. In the Kingdom of 
God there are numerous degrees of exaltation provided 
for those who are worthy of them. The old idea, that in 
the hereafter there will be but two places for the souls 
of mankind, — a heaven and a hell, with the same glory 
in all parts of the one, and the same terrors throughout 
the other, — is wholly untenable in the light of Divine 
revelation. 

Degrees of Glory: — That the privileges and glories of 
heaven are graded to suit the various capacities of the 
blessed, is indicated in Christ's teachings. To His apos- 
tles He said : 'Tn my Father's house are many mansions : 
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to pre- 
pare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that 

k See the author's "The Articles of Faith," Lectures IV and 
XII, portions of which are included in the present treatment. 



96 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



where I am, there ye may be also."^ This declaration is 
supplemented by that of Paul, who speaks of the graded 
glories of the resurrection as follows : 

''There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: 
but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the ter- 
restrial is another. 

''There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the 
moon, and another glory of the stars : for one star differeth 
from another star in glory. 

"So also is the resurrection of the dead."'^ 

A fuller knowledge of this subject has been imparted 
in the present dispensation. From a revelation given in 
1832" we learn the following: Three great kingdoms or 
degrees of glory are established for the future habitation 
of the human race; these are known as the Celestial, the 
Terrestrial, and the Telestial. Far below the last and 
least of these, is the state of eternal punishment prepared 
for the sons of perdition. 

The Celestial Glory is provided for those who merit 
the highest honors of heaven; in the revelation referred 
to, we read of them : 

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and 
believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of 
his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this 
according to the commandment which he has given, that by 
keeping the commandments they might be washed and 
cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by 
the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed 
unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and are sealed 
by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth 

^John 14:1-3. 

Cor. 15:40-42. 
Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 76. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDIXANCES 



97 



upon all those who are just and true. They are they who 
are the Church of the First-born. They are they into whose 
hands the Father has given all things — they are they who 
are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fulness, and 
of his glory, and are Priests of the I\Iost High, after the 
order of ^^lelchisedek, which was after the order of Enoch, 
which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son; 
wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons 
of God — wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or 
death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs 
and they are Christ's and Christ is God's. ^ ^ ^ ^ 
These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ 
for ever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring 
with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, 
to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who 
shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who 
shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. * >h * 
These are they who are just men made perfect through 
Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out 
this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own 
blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose 
glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of 
all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as 
being typical."^ 

The Terrestrial Glory: — This, the next lower degree, 
will be received by many whose works do not merit the 
highest reward. Wq read of them: 

'These are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory 
differs from that of the Church of the First-born who have 
received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon 
differs from, the sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they 
who died without law. and also they who are the spirits of 
m_en kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the 
Gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to 

"Doctrine and Covenants 76:51-70. 
8 



98 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in 
the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who 
are honorable men of the earth, who were bhnded by the 
craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, 
but not of his fulness. These are they who receive of the 
presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father; 
wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celes- 
tial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. 
These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus ; 
wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom, of 
our God."^ 

The Telestial Glory: — The revelation continues: 

"And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which 
glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars 
differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament. 
These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither 
the testimony of Jesus. These are they who deny not the 
Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell. 
These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, 
until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the 
Lamb shall have finished his work."^ 

We learn further that the inhabitants of this kingdom 
are to be graded among themselves, comprising as they 
do the unenlightened among the varied opposing sects 
and divisions of men, and sinners of many types, whose 
offenses are not those of utter perdition : 

"For as one star differs from another star in glory, even 
so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world ; 
for these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of 
Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and 
some of another — some of Christ and some of John, and 



/"Doctrine and Covenants 76:71-79. 
9 Doctrine and Covenants 76:81-86. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



99 



some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and 
some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but received not the 
gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, 
neither the everlasting covenant."^ 

The three kingdoms of widely differing glories are 
organized on an orderly plan of gradation. We have 
seen that the telestial kingdom comprises several sub- 
divisions ; this also is the case, we are told, with the 
celestial f and, by analogy, we conclude that a similar 
condition prevails in the terrestrial. Thus the innumer- 
able degrees of merit amongst mankind are provided 
for in an infinity of graded glories. The celestial king- 
dom is supremely honored by the personal ministrations 
of the Father and the Son. The terrestrial kingdom 
will be administered through the higher, without a ful- 
ness of glory. The telestial is governed through the min- 
istrations of the terrestrial, by "angels who are appointed 
to minister for them."^ 

Exaltation in the kingdom of God implies attainment 
to the graded orders of the Holy Priesthood, and with 
these the ceremonies of the endowment are directly asso- 
ciated. 

The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern 
temples, comprises instruction relating to the significance 
and sequence of past dispensations, and the importance of 
the present as the greatest and grandest era in human 
history. This course of instruction includes a recital of 
the most prominent events of the creative period, the 
condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their 



^Doctrine and Covenants 76:98-101. 

•s Doctrine and Covenants 131:1; see also II Cor. 12:1-4. 
^ See Doctrine and Covenants 76:86-88. 



100 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



disobedience and consequent expulsion from that bliss- 
ful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world 
when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of 
redemption by which the great transgression may be 
atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration 
of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, 
the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity 
and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict com- 
pliance with Gospel requirements. 

As will be shown, the temples erected by the Latter- 
day Saints provide for the giving of these instructions in 
separate rooms, each devoted to a particular part of the 
course ; and by this provision it is possible to have several 
classes under instruction at one time. 

The ordinances of the endowment embody certain 
obligations on the part of the individual, such as cove- 
nant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and 
chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; 
to devote both talent and material means to the spread 
of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devo- 
tion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to 
contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be 
made ready to receive her King, — the Lord Jesus Christ. 
With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of 
each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, con- 
tingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions. 

No jot, iota, or tittle of the temple rites is otherwise 
than uplifting and sanctifying. In every detail the en- 
dowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality 
of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to 
truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to God. The 
blessings of the House of the Lord are restricted to no 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



101 



privileged class ; every member of the Church may have 
admission to the temiple with the right to participate in 
the ordinances thereof, if he comes duly accredited as of 
worthy life and conduct. 

SEALING IN MARRIAGE 

The Latter-day Saints regard the marriage ceremony 
performed exclusively within temple precincts, as the one 
and only perfect contract of matrimony." They recognize 
the full legal validity and moral obligation of any mar- 
riage entered into under the secular law ; but civil mar- 
riages and indeed all marriages made without the binding 
authority of the Holy Priesthood they regard as contracts 
for this life only, and therefore lacking the higher and 
superior elements of a complete and perpetual union. They 
hold that the family relationships of earth may be made 
lasting and binding beyond the veil of death. They say 
that under the perfect law operative in the celestial 
worlds, the earthly relation of husband and wife, parent 
and child, will endure in full force and effect, provided 
such relationship has been sealed on earth by the power 
and authority of the Holy Priesthood. The ordinar}^ 
rite of matrimony as established by secular law, and as 
prescribed by sectarian rule, unites the man and the 
woman for this world only; the higher law of marriage 
as divinely revealed joins the parties for time and eter- 
nity. 

''Celestial Marriage" is a term in current use among 
the Latter-day Saints, though it does not occur in any 
revelation contained in the standard works of the Church. 

" See the author's treatment of ''^larriage" in "The Articles of 
Faith," Lecture XXIV, pp. 455-460. 



102 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



The Church adopts and vahdates the scriptures of earHer 
dispensations with respect to marriage. It holds that 
marriasfe is honorable'' and ordained of God.^ Under 
the teachings of the Church, marriage is the duty of all 
who are not debarred by physical or other effective dis- 
ability from assuming the responsibilities of the wedded 
state. The Latter-day Saints declare that part of the 
birthright of every worthy man is to stand at the head of 
a family as husband and father ; and equally strong is the 
right of every worthy woman to be an honored wife and 
mother. 

The Church denounces as false and pernicious the 
teachings of misled and miorbid men who say that the 
union of the sexes is but a carnal necessity inherited by 
man as an incident of his degraded nature; and it repu- 
diates the thought that celibacy is a superior condition 
more pleasing to God. Concerning such false teachers 
the Lord has spoken in this day : 

"Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for 
marriage is ordained of God unto man ^ ^ ^ that the 
earth might answer the end of its creation, and that it might 
be filled Vv^ith the measure of man, according to his creation 
before the world was made."-^ 

The Latter-day Saints affirm that perfect marriage 
provides for the eternal relation of the sexes. With this 
people marriage is not merely a contract for time, effec- 
tive only as long as the parties shall live on earth, but a 
solemn covenant of union which shall endure beyond the 



^Heb. 13:4. 

«'Gen. 2:18,24; 1:27; 5:2; 9:1,7; Lev. 26:9. 
^Doctrine and Covenants, 49:15-17. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



103 



grave. In the complete ceremony of marriage as ordained 
by the Church and as administered only within the temple 
halls, the man and the woman are placed under covenant 
of mutual fidelity, not until death do them part, but for 
time and for all eternity. 

A contract as far-reaching as this, a covenant declared 
to be effective not only throughout the period of mortal 
life, but in the realm of the hereafter, of necessity requires 
for its validation an authority superior to any that man 
may originate. It is admitted without argument that 
men have the right to form among themselves associations 
and communities, to organize sects, parties, companies, 
churches, clubs, or any other union they may choose to 
create, provided, of course, such bodies are not inimical 
to law and order. It is further admitted that any estab- 
lished association of men may enact laws and ordain 
rules for the government of its members, provided the 
rights of individual liberty are not infringed thereby. 
Both church and state, therefore, may enact, prescribe, 
and ordain, lawful regulations as to marriage or as to 
any other form of contract; and such regulations are 
acknowledged to be of full effect within the domain of 
actual jurisdiction. Thus, marriages may be legally and 
properly authorized by states and nations, and the con- 
tracts of marriage so m.ade are effective during the life of 
the parties thereto. 

But, can it be said that any association of men may 
create and establish an authority that shall be effective 
after death? Can any power legislate beyond its lawful 
jurisdiction? Can a man sitting in his own home pre- 
scribe family rules for the household of his neighbor? 
Can our nation ordain laws that shall be valid in a foreign 



104 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



realm ? Can man enact laws to regulate the affairs of the 
Kingdom of God? 

Only as God delegates authority to man, with the 
assurance that administration under that authority shall 
be acknowledged in heaven, can any contract be made on 
earth and be of assured effect after the death of the parties 
concerned. Authority to act in the name of the Lord is 
the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Priesthood. 
As the Lord hath said : 

*'A11 covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, 
performances, connections, associations, or expectations, 
that are not made, and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy 
Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for 
time and for all eternity, and that too m.ost holy, by revela- 
tion and commandment through the medium of mine 
anointed, vv^hom I have appointed on the earth to hold this 
power, * >i< * are of no efficacy, virtue or force, in and 
after the resurrection from the dead ; for all contracts that 
are not made unto this end, have an end when men are 
dead."^ 

In application of this principle to the covenants of 
matrimony, the revelation continues : 

''Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and 
he marry her not by me, nor by my word ; and he covenant 
with her so long as he is in the world, and she with him, 
their covenant and marriage are not of force when they 
are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, 
they are not bound by any law when they are out of the 
world. 

''Therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither 
marry, nor are given in marriage ; but are appointed angels 
in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister 



Doctrine and Covenants 132:7. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



105 



for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, 
and an eternal weight of glory ; 

'Tor these angels did not abide my law, therefore they. . 
cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, with- 
out exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity, and 
from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God, for 
ever and ever."^ 

This system of holy matrimony, involving covenants 
for both time and eternity, is known distinctively as 
Celestial Marriage, and is understood to be the order of 
marriage that exists in the celestial worlds. This sacred 
ordinance is administered by the Church to those only who 
are adjudged to be of worthy life, fit to be admitted to 
the House of the Lord; for this holy rite, together with 
others of eternal validity, may be solemnized only within 
the temples reared and dedicated for such exalted service.'^ 
Children born to parents thus married under the celes- 
tial law are heirs to the Priesthood; "children of the 
covenant" they are called; no ordinance of adoption or 
sealing is required to give them place in the blessed pos- 
terity of promise. 

The Church, how^ever, sanctions and acknowledges 
legal marriages for time only, and indeed solemnizes 
such unions between parties who may not be admitted to 
the House of the Lord, or who voluntarily choose the 
lesser and temporal order of matrimony. 

Within the temple and not elsew^here, are marriages 
solemnized for and in behalf of parties who are dead. 
Husbands and wives who have lived in mortality together 
and now are dead, may be sealed under the authority 

^Doctrine and Covenants 132:15-17. 
« Doctrine and Covenants 124:30-34. 



106 



'I iri-: jfO(;sK or the lord 



of l.lic I'ricstliooc], ])r()W](]cj], of cr^iirsc, the preliminary 
ternple ordinances have been administered in their behalf, 
fn the marria|:(e rite for the dead as in other ordinances, 
the parties are re])resented by their living- descendants 
acting in the capacity of proxy. 

1'he ordinance of celestial marriage, whereby the 
contracting parties, whether living or dead, are united 
under the authority ()f the Holy Priesthood for time and 
eternity, is known rlistincti vely as the ceremony of Sealing 
in Marriage. Husband and wife so united are said to be 
sealed, wliereas if united under tlie lesser law for time 
fji'ily, either by secular or ecclesiastical authority, they are 
only married. 

Ilusbanrl and wife who have been married for time 
only, either by secular ()r ecclesiastical ceremony, may 
afterward be sealed for time and eternity, provided they 
have become m(;mbers ()^ tlie Church, and are adjudged 
worthy to enter tlie leiiijJe fr^r this ])m])()Se.; but no such 
confirmatir;n r^f an existing union, nor any sealing of 
m;i,rriefl ]K:rsrjns is possible unless tlie parties furnish 
]jroof tl);i,t tliey have been legally anrl lawfully married. 
N() marriage of living- persons is performed in any of 
tlie temples except under license duly issued as refjuired 
by the laws of tlie state. The sealing ordinance extends 
to other associ;t.tions tlum those of matrimony as will be 
shown. 

1 lie actuality ihe sealing r>rdinance in marriage 
finrls an illustration in the personal teachings of the Savior. 
On one occasir>n there came unto TTim certain .SarMucees,* 
and these, be il iciiiciiiberctd, flciiicd the ])Ossibilily of the 



''See Malt. 22:23-33; M?irk 12:18-27; Liikr, 20:27 40. 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



107 



resurrection of the dead. They sought to entrap Him by 
a difficult question. They thus stated their case : 

''Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, 
his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his 
brother. 

"Now there were with us seven brethren : and the first, 
v/hen he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, 
left his wife unto his brother : 

"Likevv^se the second also, and the third, unto the 
seventh. 

"And last of all the woman died also. 
"Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of 
the seven ? for they all had her." 

Note the sequel : 

"Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err, not 
knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 

"For in the resurrection they neither m.arry, nor are 
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." 

It is evident that in the resurrected state there could 
be no contest among the seven brothers as to whose wife 
the woman was, — for after death there was to be no 
marrying nor giving in marriage. The question of mar- 
riage between individuals was and is to be settled before 
that time. The woman would and could be the wife of 
but one in the eternal world, and that one the man to 
whom she was given by the authority of the Holy Priest- 
hood on earth, as a consort for time and eternity. In 
short, the woman would be the wife of the man with 
whom she entered into covenant for eternity under the 
seal of Divine authority; and no contract or agreement 
for time only would be effective in the resurrection. 



108 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



This exposition seems to have been convincing; the 
multitude were astonished, and the Sadducees were 
silenced ;^ moreover some of the Scribes declared : "Mas- 
ter, thou hast well said.""^ Our Lord added what appears 
to have been a supplementary question, coupled with 
instruction of the greatest import: 

"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye 
not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 

"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and 
the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of 
the living."^ 

OTHER SEALING ORDINANCES 

Children born outside celestial marriage, yet within 
legally established wedlock, are the lawful and legiti- 
mate heirs of their parents in ah affairs of earth. They 
are the offspring of an earthly union that is in every 
respect a legal, moral, and proper relation under the laws 
of man. That these children will belong to their parents 
in the hereafter is as uncertain as that the parents will 
belong to each other. The parents have been but tem- 
porally and temporarily married, and the offspring are 
theirs for the period of their own contract only. Even 
as husband and wife though legally wedded under the 
secular law must be sealed by the authority of the Holy 
Priesthood if their union is to be valid in eternity, so 
must children who have been born to parents married for 
time only be sealed to their parents after father and 



^Matt. 22:33, 34. 
d Luke 20:39. 
^Matt. 22:31,32, 



MODERN TEMPLE ORDINANCES 



109 



mother have been sealed to each other in the order of 
celestial marriage. 

The Church affimis the eternal perpetuity of all fam- 
ily relationships existing on earth under the seal and 
authority of the Priesthood ; and declares that none other 
relationship will be binding after death. The offspring 
of parents not joined in celestial marriage are thus sealed 
to or adopted by their parents as members of the family 
organization which shall endure through eternity ; thus, 
husbands and wives who are dead are married or sealed 
to each other by proxy ministration, and their children 
are similarly sealed to them in the family relationship. 

It will be seen, therefore, that the vicarious labor of 
the living for the dead, as performed in the temples of 
the present day, comprises more than baptism and con- 
firmation. The work is completed on earth only when 
the parties, in the persons of their living representatives, 
have been baptized, confirmed, endowed, and sealed both 
in the relationship of husband and wife as once existent 
and in the family union of parents and children. 



CHAPTER V 



MODERN DAY TEMPLES THE TEMPLES AT KIRTLAND 

AND NAUVOO 

As to general design, and indeed as to details of plan 
and construction of the earlier sanctuaries, much has 
been preserved to us through the pages of sacred writ. 
From the Biblical record alone it would be possible to 
practically reproduce the Tabernacle of the Congregation 
and the later Temple of Solomon ; though, had we no 
information to supplement the Biblical account, we 
would know but little as to procedure requisite to the 
administration of ordinances specifically pertaining to 
temples. 

Regarding the plan of building and the structural 
design of temples, we find no close similarity, far less of 
aught approaching identity, in these holy houses as erected 
in different dispensations ; on the contrary we may affirm 
that direct revelation of temple plans is required for each 
distinctive period of the Priesthood's administration, that 
is to say for every dispensation of Divine authority. 
While the general purpose of temples is the same in all 
times, the special suitability of these edifices is determined 
by the needs of the dispensation to which they severally 
belong. 

There is a definite sequence of development in the 
dealings of God with man throughout the centuries ; and 
it is this unity of order and purpose that constitutes the 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



111 



eternal unchangeableness of the Supreme Being. Today 
is no mere repetition of yesterday ; on the contrary, every 
today is a sum of all precedent time, so that in each 
succeeding age the Divine plan is farther advanced, and 
the grand finale in the great drama of human salvation 
is brought nearer. 

From the days of the ancient Tabernacle of the 
Congregation, and thence onward to the meridian of 
time, animal sacrifice was required as an ordained rite 
of propitiation and worship; and such was in prototype 
of the sacrificial death predicted as part of the mission of 
the Son of Man. The temples of the Hebrews who were 
living under the Mosaic law, provided, therefore, for the 
slaughter of animals, for the ceremonial dividing of the 
carcases and for the due disposal of the blood, for the 
convenient imm.olation of the offerings, and for numer- 
ous other details of ceremony associated with worship 
under the law of Moses. 

The Latter-day Saints are one with other Christian 
sects in the unreserved acceptance of the doctrine that 
the atoning death of Christ terminated the Mosaic rites 
of sacrifice involving the ceremonial shedding of blood, 
that, in truth, the prototype was consummated in the 
reality. The temples of today are provided v/ith no 
altars of sacrifice, no courts of slaughter, no shambles 
red with the blood of beasts, no pyres on which carcases 
are burned, no censers of incense to becloud the fumes 
from burning flesh. 

Even among the temples of the present dispensation 
there is a graded variety in the details of construction. 
The first temple of modern times was in a measure incom- 
plete as compared with the holy houses of later construe- 



112 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



tion. The fact was doubtless known to the Lord, though 
wisely hidden from common knowledge, that the Kirtland 
Temple would serve but for the beginning of the re-estab- 
lishment of those distinctive ordinances for which tem- 
ples are essential. Even as the Tabernacle of old was but 
an inferior type of what would follow, designed for tem- 
porary use under special conditions, so the earlier temples 
of the latter-day dispensation, specifically those of Kirt- 
land and Nauvoo, were but temporary Houses of the 
Lord, destined to serve for short periods only as sanc- 
tuaries. 

Scarcely had the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints been organized when the Lord indicated the neces- 
sity of a temple, in which He could reveal His mind and 
will to man, and in which the sanctifying ordinances of 
the Gospel could be administered. In a revelation given 
as early as December, 1830, the Lord said: 'T am Jesus 
Christ the Son of God : wherefore gird up your loins and 
I will suddenly come to my temple."'^ In February 1831, 
the Lord further indicated His purpose thus : ''That my 
covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when 
I shall come to my temple. And this I do for the salva- 
tion of my people."^ More definite instructions as to the 
practical labors incident to the procuring of a site and the 
rearing of a temple soon followed. 

TEMPLE SITE AT INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI 

The principal seat of the Church had been temporarily 
established at Kirtland, Ohio; nevertheless the prophet 
had learned through early revelation that Zion would be 

a Doctrine and Covenants 36:8; compare Malachi 3:1. 
* Doctrine and Covenants 42:36. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



113 



established far to the west. In June, 1831, a conference 
of elders was held at Kirtland, on which occasion a reve- 
lation^ was received directing certain of the elders to start 
westward, traveling in pairs and preaching by the way. 
In the month following, these elders reassembled at a 
designated place in western Missouri, all rejoicing in their 
ministry and eager to learn the further will of the Lord. 
The burden of their prayer and song is thus expressed by 
the prophet: "When will the wilderness blossom as the 
rose? When will Zion be built up in her glory, and 
where will thy temple stand, unto which all nations shall 
come in the last days?"'^ In answer to their supplications 
the Lord spake by the mouth of His prophet, designating 
the western part of Missouri as the land of Zion, and 
the site occupied by the town of Independence as the 
''center place," and specifying a spot as that upon which 
a temple should be built.^ 

On the third of August, 1831, the prophet Joseph 
Smith and seven other elders of the Church assembled on 
the temple lot and dedicated the same to its sacred pur- 
pose. Though the company was small, the occasion was 
one of great solemnity and impressiveness. The prophet 
himself offered the prayer of dedication.^ The temple so 
projected is yet to be built. Though the Latter-day 
Saints acquired by purchase title to and possession of the 



c See Doctrine and Covenants sec. 52; see also sec. 54. 
d History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
Vol. I, p. 189. 

^ See Doctrine and Covenants 57:1-4. 

f See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. I, p. 199; also the "Life of Joseph Smith" by 
George Q. Cannon, p. 119; see also "History of Utah" by Orson 
F. Whitney, Vol. I, p. 91. 

9 



114 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



temple lot, they were later by violence compelled to aban- 
don their rightful possessions. 

THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE 

The building of a temple in Missouri was regarded, 
even by the prophet and those who assisted him in dedi- 
cating the site, as an event of the future, perhaps even of 
the far distant future. The center of activity, the seat of 
the Church for the time being, was in Ohio, and Kirtland 
was the place of temporary gathering. In Kirtland too 
was to be erected the first temple of modern times. 

In a revelation given December 27, 1832, the Lord 
commanded the establishment of a holy house.^ Perhaps 
because their eyes were directed too steadily toward the 
''center place," and because the people were prone to con- 
template too absorbedly the glory of the future to the 
neglect of then present duties, compliance with the require- 
ment to proceed at once with the erection of a temple was 
not prompt; and the Lord rebuked the people for their 
tardiness and neglect, declaring again His will that a 
house be reared to His name and promising success on 
condition of faithful effort.^ 

The Saints were aroused to great activity in the 
matter of erecting a temple for immediate use. A building 
committee was organized, and a call issued to all branches 
of the Church.^ On the second day of August, 1833, the 
voice of the Lord was heard again respecting the matter 
of temple building, and while the specific requirement 

5 Doctrine and Covenants sec. 88:119, 120. 
^ See Doctrine and Covenants sec. 95. 

» See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. I, pp. 349, 350. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



115 



appears to directly apply to the temple of the future in 
Jackson County, Missouri, nevertheless the revelation had 
immediate effect in inspiring greater effort in the building 
of a temple at Kirtland.-' 

The Kirtland Tem.ple was built as projected and 
designed, though the work was marked by an unbroken 
course of supreme sacrifice on the part of a poverty- 
laden people. Consider the words of one who was present 
and saw, one who helped and suffered, one who spoke 
from personal knowledge and keen remembrance. Eliza 
R. Snow, a gifted poetess and historian of modern-day 
Israel, has written : 

''It [the Temple] was commenced in June, 1833, under 
the immediate direction of the Almighty, through his ser- 
vant, Joseph Smj'th, whom he had called in his boyhood, 
like SamAiel of old, to introduce the fulness of the ever- 
lasting gospel. 

"At that time the Saints were few in number, and most 
of them very poor; and had it not been for the assurance 
that God had spoken, and had commanded that a house 
should be built to His name, of which He not only revealed 
the form, but also designated the dimensions, an attempt 
towards building that Temple, under the then existing cir- 
cumstances, would have been, by all concerned, pronounced 
preposterous. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

"Its dimicnsions are eighty by fifty-nine feet : the walls 
fifty feet high, and the tower one hundred and ten feet. The 
two main halls are fifty-five by sixty-five feet in the inner 
court. The building has four vestries in front, and five 
rooms in the attic, which were devoted to literature and for 
meetings of the various quorum.s of the Priesthood. 

"There was a peculiarity in the arrangement of the inner 



> Doctrine and Covenants 97:10-17. 



116 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



court which made it more than ordinarily impressive — so 
much so that a sense of sacred awe seemed to rest upon all 
v/ho entered. Not only the Saints, but strangers also, 
manifested a high degree of reverential feeling. Four pul- 
pits stood, one above another, in the center of the building, 
from north to south, both on the east and west ends. * ^ * 
In front of each of these two rows of pulpits was a sacra- 
ment table, for the administration of that sacred ordinance. 
In each corner of the court was an elevated pew for the 
singers — the choir being distributed into four compartments. 
In addition to the pulpit-curtains were others, intersecting 
at right angles, which divided the main ground-floor hall 
into four equal sections, giving to each one half of one set 
of pulpits. 

''From the day the ground was broken for laying the 
foundation of the Temple, until its dedication on the 27th 
of March, 1836, the work was vigorously prosecuted. 

''With very little capital except brain, bone, and sinew, 
combined with unwavering trust in God, men, women, and 
even children, worked with their might. While the brethren 
labored in their departm^ents, the sisters were actively 
engaged in boarding and clothing workmen not otherwise 
provided for — all Hving as abstemiously as possible, so that 
every cent might be appropriated to the grand object, while 
their energies were stimulated by the prospect of partici- 
pating in the blessing of a house built by the direction of the 
Most High, and accepted by Him."^ 

The corner stones had been laid July 23, 1833 — just 
when opposition and persecution were most rife in the 
western branches of the Church, the very day, in fact, on 
which a lawless mob served notice of expulsion on the 
Saints in Missouri.^ Nevertheless work on the Kirtland 

k See "Life of Joseph, the Prophet" by Edward W. Tullidge, 
pp. 187-189. 

' See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. I, page 400. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



117 



Temple continued without interruption, though to the 
eager Saints progress was aU too slow. On the 7th of 
]\Iarch, 1835, a solemn convocation was held in Kirtland, 
— ''called for the purpose of blessing in the name of the 
Lord, those who have heretofore assisted in building, by 
their labor and other means, the House of the Lord in this 
place." The record gives names of those who had con- 
secrated their time, effort and means to the work."^ Long 
before the Temple was completed, parts of the structure 
were used for council meetings and other gatherings of 
the Priesthood. In January, 1836, a code of rules was 
adopted ''to be observed in the House of the Lord in 
Kirtland."" On the 21st of the month last named a gath- 
ering of the Priesthood was held in the unfinished Temple, 
on which occasion the Presiding Patariarch and the three 
High Priests who composed the First Presidency of the 
Church, assembled in a room by themselves and engaged 
in solemn prayer. The Patriarch, Father Joseph Smith, 
was anointed and blessed by the members of the First 
Presidency in turn, after which he, by virtue of his office, 
anointed and blessed them. Of the glorious manifesta- 
tion that followed, the prophet thus writes : 

"The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the 
celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in 
the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty 
of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will 
enter, which was like unto circling flam.es of fire ; also the 
blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and 
the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which 



See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints, Vol. II, pp. 205, 206. 

""History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. II, pp. 368, 369. 



118 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



had the appearance of being paved with gold. * * 
I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon 
the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign 
lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with 
their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast 
downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did 
not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept. 

''Many of my brethren who received the ordinance with 
me saw glorious visions also. Angels ministered unto them 
as well as to myself, and the power of the Highest rested 
upon us ; the house was filled with the glory of God, and we 
shouted 'Hosanna to God and the Lamb.' My scribe also 
received his anointing with us, and saw, in a vision, the 
armies of heaven protecting the Saints in their return to 
Zion, and many things which I saw. 

''The Bishop of Kirtland with his counselors, and the 
Bishop of Zion with his counselors, were present with us, 
and received their anointings under the hands of Father 
Smith, and this was confirmed by the Presidency, and the 
glories of heaven were unfolded to them also. 

"We then invited the High Councilors of Kirtland and 
Zion into our room. * * * 

"The visions of heaven were opened to them also. Some 
of them saw the face of the Savior, and others were min- 
istered unto by holy angels, and the spirit of prophecy and 
revelation was poured out in mighty power ; and loud 
hosannas, and glory to God in the highest, saluted the heav- 
ens, for we all communed with the heavenly host."" 

The dedication of the Kirtland Temple occurred on 
Sunday, March 27, 1836. The early hour of 8 a. m. had 
been set as the time for opening the doors ; but so intense 
was the interest and so eager the expectation, that long 
before the time hundreds had gathered about the doors. 

''"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. II, pp. 380-382. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 119 

Between nine hundred and a thousand people attended 
the services. The congregation was seated in solemn 
assembly, each of the organized bodies of Priesthood with 
its presiding officers being in its appointed place. Sing- 
ing, scripture reading, and supplicaton for Divine grace, 
were followed by brief addresses ; after which the author- 
ities of the Church as then constituted were presented to 
the people for acceptance or rejection, and a rising vote 
pledged unanimous support in every instance. The 
authorities of the Priesthood so sustained comprised all 
presiding officers from the First Presidency down to the 
presidency of the deacons. The dedicatory prayer was 
then offered by Joseph Smith, who affirms that the prayer 
was given to him by revelation.^ 

The question as to whether the House of the Lord 
was accepted as duly dedicated was put to the quorums 
of the Priesthood separately and to the congregation as a 
whole; the vote in the affirmative was unanimous. The 
Lord's Supper was then administered, and many of the 
elders bore solemn testimony to the divinity of the Gospel 
as restored. The prophet's journal continues : 

"President Frederick G. Williams arose and testified 
that while President Rigdon was making his first prayer, 
an angel entered the window and took his seat between 
Father Smith and himself, and remained there during the 
prayer. President David Whitmer also saw angels in the 
house. President Hyrum Smith made some appropriate 
remarks congratulating those who had endured so many 
toils and privations to build the house. President Rigdon 
then made a few appropriate closing remarks, and a short 
prayer, at the close of which we sealed the proceedings of 

See Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 109, where the prayer 
appears in full. 



120 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



the day by shouting 'Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God 
and the Lamb,' three times, seahng it each time with 'Amen, 
Amen, and Amen.' 

In the evening of the day of dedication another meet- 
ing was held; this, however, was attended by officers of 
the Church only. The record as written by the prophet 
reads : 

'T met the quorums in the evening and instructed them 
respecting the ordinance of washing of feet, which they 
were to attend to on Wednesday following; and gave them 
instructions in relation to the spirit of prophecy. ^ * 

''Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, 
when a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing, mighty 
wind, which filled the Temple, and all the congregation 
simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible 
power ; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy ; 
others saw glorious visions ; and I beheld the Temple was 
filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. 
The people of the neighborhood came running together 
(hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light 
like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were 
astonished at what was taking place. This continued until 
the meeting closed at 11 p. m."*" 

On the Thursday following that eventful Sabbath, 
another solemn assembly convened in the Temple, includ- 
ing as before the general authorities of the Church, and 
in addition such members as had not been able to secure 
admission on the earlier day. The services were in a 
measure a repetition of the proceedings on the first occa- 

Q "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. II, pp. 427,428. 

^ "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S'^ints," 
Vol. II, p. 428. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



121 



sion; the dedicatory prayer was read, appropriate music 
was rendered and addresses were delivered. 

That the building was in truth a Temple, a holy struc- 
ture accepted by Him to whose name it had been reared, 
that it was veritably a House of the Lord, had been 
attested by the visitation of heavenly beings, and by 
Divine manifestations surpassing all expectation, as wit- 
nessed on the evening of the dedication day. On the next 
Sabbath, April 3, 1836, visitations and manifestations of 
yet greater import were received. At the afternoon service 
the Lord's Supper was administered, after which, the 
prophet and his counselor, Oliver Cowdery, retired to the 
stand reserved for the presiding officers of the Melchise- 
dek Priesthood, — which was enclosed by the curtains or 
veils lowered for the occasion. They solemnly testify that 
then and there did the Lord Jesus Christ reveal Himself. 
Afterward, other heavenly personages ministered unto 
them, each delivering or bestowing the particular author- 
ity with which he was specially invested. The testimony 
of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery is as follows : 

"The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of 
our understanding were opened. 

"We saw the Lord standing upon the breast-work of 
the pulpit, before us, and under his feet was a paved work 
of pure gold in color like amber. 

"His eyes were as a flame of fire, the hair of his head 
was white like the pure snow, his countenance shone above 
the brightness of the sun, and his voice was as the sound 
of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, 
saying — 

"I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he 
who was slain, I am your advocate with the Father. 



122 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



"Behold, your sins are forgiven you, you are clean before 
me, therefore lift up your heads and rejoice, 

"Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the 
hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, 
built this house to my name, 

"For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name 
shall be here, and I vv^ill manifest myself to my people in 
mercy in this house, 

"Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto 
them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my com- 
mandments, and do not pollute this holy house. 

"Yea, the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall 
greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall 
be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants 
have been endowed in this house ; 

"And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign 
lands, and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall 
be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so. 
Amen. 

"After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened 
unto us, and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto 
us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of 
the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of 
the north. 

"After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensa- 
tion of the gospel of Abraham, saying, that in us, and our 
seed, all generations after us should be blessed. 

"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious 
vision burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken 
to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said — 

"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of 
by the mouth of Malaclii, testifying that he (Elijah) should 
be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, 

"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and 
the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten 
with a curse. 

"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



123 



into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great 
and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors. "-^ 

The erection of the Temple at Kirtland seemed to 
increase the hostile opposition to which the Church had 
been subjected since its organization; and persecution 
soon became so violent that all of the Saints who could 
dispose of their property and leave did so and joined 
their fellow religionists in Missouri. Within two years 
following the dedication, a general exodus of the Saints 
had taken place, and the Temple soon fell into the hands 
of the persecutors. The building is yet standing, and 
serves the purposes of an ordinary meeting-house for an 
obscure sect that manifests no visible activity in temple 
building, nor apparent belief in the sacred ordinances for 
which temples are erected. The people whose sacrifice 
and sufifering reared the structure no longer assert claims 
of ownership. What was once the Temple of God, in 
which the Lord Jesus appeared in person, has become but 
a house, — a building whose sole claim to distinction 
among the innumerable structures built by man, lies in its 
wondrous past. 

TEMPLE SITE AT FAR WEST, MISSOURI 

From Ohio the Church migrated westward, and gath- 
ering-centers were established in Missouri, principally in 
Jackson, Clay, and Caldwell counties. No time was lost 
in useless grieving over the enforced abandonment of the 
Temple at Kirtland. Even at that early day, but seven 
years after the organization of the Church, the people 

•5 Doctrine and Covenants sec. 110. See also "History of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vol. II, pp. 434-436. 



124 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



had come to regard persecution as an inevitable incident 
of their rehgion, and spoHation as their heritage. Reso- 
lutely they went to work in preparation for another tem- 
ple, and a site was chosen at Far West, Caldwell County, 
Missouri. On the 5th of August, 1837, "the Presidency, 
High Council, and all the authorities of the Church in 
Missouri, assembled in council at Far West, and unani- 
mously resolved to go on moderately and build a house 
unto the name of the Lord in Far West, as they had 
means. On the 26th of April, 1838, a revelation was 
received directing the time and manner of beginning the 
work : 

**Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land 
unto me, and it shall be called most holy, for the ground 
upon which thou standest is holy ; therefore I command you 
to build an house unto me, for the gathering together of my 
Saints, that they may worship me; and let there be a 
beginning of this work, and a foundation, and a preparatory 
work, this following summer ; and let the beginning be made 
on the fourth day of July next, and from that time forth let 
my people labor diligently to build an house unto my name, 
and in one year from this day let them re-commence laying 
the foundation of my house. 

On the fourth day of July, 1838, the corner stones 
were laid to the accompaniment of military parade and 
solemn procession.^ It is plain from the revelation of 
April 26, 1838, that even the laying of the foundation 
of this proposed temple would not proceed uninterrupt- 

* "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. II, p. 505. 

"Doctrine and Covenants sec. 115:7-18. 

^ See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. Ill, pp. 41, 42. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



125 



edly. The corner stones were placed on July 4th as had 
been commanded, and on the 8th another mention of the 
site is made with a specific requirement respecting the 
future work of the apostles. ''Let them take leave of my 
Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th day of April 
next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord."^^ 
The months following were marked by persecution and 
violence; hostile opponents declared that the commission 
should never be fulfilled. History attests, however, that 
on the 26th day of April, 1839, the apostles, several other 
officers of the Church, and a number of the members, 
assembled in the early hours of the morning, sang their 
hymns, delivered their exhortations, and began the work 
of laying the foundation stones. On the occasion two 
vacancies in the Council of the Twelve were filled by the 
ordination of Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, 
whose nominations had previously been voted upon. The 
apostles then took leave of the others present- and pro- 
ceeded on their missions. Almost immediately after the 
events last recorded, the Saints were forced to abandon 
their homes in Missouri. 

The Latter-day Saints regard the long delay in the 
erection of temples on the dedicated sites in Missouri as 
largely the result of their own defection, neglect, and dis- 
obedience to the word of the Lord, in consequence of 
which their enemies were permitted to prevail. When, 
in 1834, the Saints in Missouri were subject to cruel per- 
secution, their fellow religionists in the eastern branches 
of the Church were directed to go to their aid, and to 
send men with money to purchase the lands adjacent to 
the chosen sites, and moreover to consecrate their posses- 

Doctrine and Covenants 118:5. 



126 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



sions to the redemption of Zion. To these requirements 
there was unsatisfactory response; and even in Zion's 
Camp, as the body of between one hundred and fifty and 
two hundred men who set out from Ohio for Missouri as 
directed, was called, there was much disaffection, mur- 
muring, and lack of faith. On June 22, 1834, the Lord 
said through Joseph, the prophet : 

''Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgres- 
sions of my people, speaking concerning the Church and 
not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now.">' 

Thus, through their own transgressions the Saints 
were hindered in the work required at their hands, and 
the harvest of blessings predicated upon this specific labor, 
has not yet ripened. 

THE NAUVOO TEMPLE 

After their expulsion from Missouri, the ''Mormon" 
refugees turned their faces toward the east, crossed the 
Mississippi and established themselves in and about the 
obscure village of Commerce, Hancock County, Illinois. 
The people demonstrated again their marvelous recuper- 
ative power, and without delay or hesitation set about 
establishing new homes and a temple. By the early part 
of June, 1839, dwellings were in course of construction, 
and soon the hamlet was transformed into a city. To this 
new abiding place the Saints gave the name Nauvoo, — 
which to them meant all that the name City Beautiful 
could convey. It was situated but a few miles from 

3' Doctrine and Covenants 105:2; see also 103:23, and compare 
105:8,9; the two sections should be read in full. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



127 



Quincy, in a bend of the majestic river, giving the town 
three water fronts. It seemed to nestle there as if the 
Father of Waters was encircHng it with his mighty arm/' 
The best and most suitable site within the limits of the 
city as planned was selected, purchased, and duly set 
apart as the temple ground. The corner stones were laid 
April 6, 1841 — the day on which the Church entered upon 
the twelfth year of its troubled yet progressive career. 
In the ceremonial of the day the Nauvoo Legion — a body 
of militia organized under the laws of Illinois, — took a 
conspicuous part, and two volunteer companies from. Iowa 
Territory participated."" The south-east corner-stone was 
placed in position under the immediate direction of the 
First Presidency, and over it the President pronounced 
the following benediction : 

"This principal corner-stone in representation of the 
First Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the Great 
God ; and may it there remain until the whole fabric is com- 
pleted ; and may the same be accomplished speedily ; that the 
Saints may have a place to worship God, and the Son of 
Man have where to lay His head." 

Sidney Rigdon of the First Presidency then pro- 
nounced the following : 

*'May the persons employed in the erection of this house 
be preserved from all harm while engaged in its construc- 
tion, till the whole is completed, in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Even so. Amen."^ 

^ See "The Story of Mormonism" by the author, p. 35. 

« See Joseph Smith's Journal, April 6, 1841; see "History of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Vol. IV, po. 
327-329. 

^"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. IV, p. 329. 



128 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



After a recess of one hour, the congregation re-assem- 
bled and the remaining corner stones were laid in the 
order indicated. The south-west corner-stone was laid 
under the direction of the High Priests' organization, and 
the president pronounced the following : 

"The second corner-stone of the temple now building 
by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 
honor of the Great God, is duly laid, and may the same 
unanimity that has been manifested on this occasion continue 
till the whole is completed ; that peace may rest upon it to 
the laying of the top-stone thereof, and the turning of the 
key thereof ; that the Saints may participate in the blessings 
of Israel's God, within its walls, and the glory of God rest 
upon the same. Amen." 

The north-west corner-stone was then lowered to its 
place under the superintendency of the High Council, with 
a benediction by Elias Higbee, as follows : 

''The third corner-stone is now duly laid ; may this stone 
be a firm support to the building that the whole may be 
completed as before proposed." 

The stone at the north-east corner was laid by the 
Bishops, and Bishop Whitney pronounced the following: 

"The fourth and last corner-stone, expressive of the 
Lesser Priesthood, is now duly laid, and may the blessings 
before pronounced, with all others desirable, rest upon the 
same forever. Amen."^ 

Regarding the proper order of procedure in temple 
building, the prophet Joseph Smith wrote as follows in 
connection with the laying of the corner-stones atNauvoo : 



c See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. IV, p. 330. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



129 



''If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out in 
the building of temples, the first stone would be laid at the 
south-east corner, by the First Presidency of the Church. 
The south-west corner should be laid next; the third, or 
north-west corner next; and the fourth, or north-east 
corner last. The First Presidency should lay the south-east 
corner stone and dictate who are the proper persons to lay 
the other corner stones. 

'Tf a temple is built at a distance, and the First Presi- 
dency are not present, then the Quorum of the Twelve Apos- 
tles are the persons to dictate the order for that temple; 
and in the absence of the Twelve Apostles, then the Presi- 
dency of the Stake will lay the south-east corner stone ; the 
Melchisedek Priesthood laying the corner stones on the east 
side of the temple, and the Lesser Priesthood those on the 
west side."^ 

The Nauvoo Temple was erected by the people, who 
contributed liberally both through tithes and freewill 
offerings of money and labor. Most of the work was 
done by men who tithed themselves as to time, and 
devoted their energies in the proportion of at least one 
day in ten to labor on the Temple.^ 

The work progressed slowly but without marked 
interruption; and this fact becomes surprising when the 
many unfavorable conditions are considered. The Saints 
had found but temporary respite from persecution; and 
as the Temple rose opposition increased.^ 

^"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. IV, p. 331. 

^ See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints," Vol. IV, p. 517. 

f In the "Times and Seasons" of May 2, 1842, appeared an 
editorial dealing with the progress of work on the Temple, and 
this writing has been incorporated in the prophet's journal. See 
"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. V, pp. 608-610. 

10 



130 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Interest had been aroused and energy stimulated in 
temple matters, through a revelation by which the Lord 
made known His will and the provisions of heavenly law 
concerning the sacred ordinance of baptism for the dead. 
It will be remembered that no provision for this rite had 
been made in the Kirtland Temple, for at the time of the 
erection of that structure nothing thereto pertaining had 
been revealed in modern times. On January 19, 1841, 
the Lord had spoken through the prophet, explaining the 
need of a holy house with its baptistry, largely and 
specifically for the benefit of the dead.^ So eager were 
the Saints to render vicarious service in behalf of their 
dead, that before the temple walls were much above the 
basement level, the construction of a font was in progress. 
On November 8, 1841, the font was ready for dedication, 
and the ceremony was performed by the prophet himself. 
Thus, long before the Temple was finished, ordinance 
work was in progress within its precincts, the font being 
enclosed by temporary walls. A description written by 
Joseph Smith follows : 

''The baptismal font is situated in the center of the base- 
ment room, under the main hall of the Temple; it is con- 
structed of pine timber, and put together of staves tongued 
and grooved, oval shaped, sixteen feet long east and west, 
and twelve feet wide, seven feet high from the foundation, 
the basin four feet deep ; the moulding of the cap and base 
are formed of beautiful carved work in antique style. The 
sides are finished with panel work. A flight of stairs in the 
north and south sides lead up and down into the basin, 
guarded by side railing. 

''The font stands upon twelve oxen, four on each side. 



^ See Doctrine and Covenants 124:28-31. For an extended 
extract see pages 87-88 of this book. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



131 



and two at each end, their heads, shoulders, and fore-legs 
projecting out from under the font; they are carved out of 
pine plank, glued together, and copied after the most beau- 
tiful five-year-old steer that could be found in the country, 
and they are an excellent striking likeness of the original; 
the horns were formed after the most perfect horn that 
could be procured. 

"The oxen and ornamental mouldings of the font were 
carved by Elder Elijah Fordham, from the city of New 
York, which occupied eight months of time. The font was 
enclosed by a temporary frame building sided up with split 
oak clapboards, with a roof of the same material, and was 
so low that the timbers of the first story [of the Temple] 
were laid above it. The water was supplied from a well 
thirty feet deep in the east end of the basement."^ 

Beside the baptistry, other parts of the Temple were 
prepared for temporary occupancy while yet work on the 
walls was in progress, and on Sunday, October 30, 1842, 
a general assembly was convened therein. This is 
recorded as the first meeting held in the Temple.' At 
later dates other meetings were held within the unfinished ^ 
structure; and notwithstanding the violent opposition of 
foes without, and yet more effective hindrances caused by 
the apostate spirit manifested by a few within the Church, 
the work was vigorously prosecuted. 

It was not permitted that Joseph Smith the prophet, 
nor Hyrum Smith, one-time counselor in the First Pres- 
idency and later Patriarch of the Church, should live to 
see the completion of the building. On the 27th of June, 
1844, these men of God fell victims of the bullets of 

^"History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. IV, pp. 446, 447. 

^'''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 
Vol. V, p. 182. 



132 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



assassins, at Carthage, Illinois.-' Though heavy the blow 
and cruel the affliction suffered by the Saints in the mar- 
tyrdom of their leaders, the work of the Church showed 
scarcely perceptible hindrance. Within two weeks after 
the dread event, construction on the Temple was resumed, 
and from that time till the completion the work was pros- 
ecuted with increased vigor and determination. A few 
months prior to his martyrdom, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, 
acting as one of the Temple Committee, had made a call 
on the women of the Church, asking from them a weekly 
subscription of one cent apiece, the money to be used in 
purchasing material, particularly glass and nails, for the 
Temple. It is recorded that ''there was soon a great 
anxiety manifest among the sisters to pay their portion, 
and nearly all paid a year's subscription in advance.""^ 
The Church archives for 1844 and 1845 contain 
numerous references to the progress of the work. On the 
24th of May, 1845, the capstone was laid, with impressive 
ceremony, under the direction of President Brig'ham 
Young and other members of the Council of the Twelve 
Apostles, beside whom there were in attendance many 
general and local authorities of the Church. After the 
top-stone had been duly laid, the President said : 

"The last stone is laid upon the Temple, and I pray the 
Almighty in the name of Jesus to defend us in this place, and 
sustain us until the Temple is finished and we have all got 
our endowments."^ 



/"See "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day- 
Saints," Vol. VI, pp. 612-631; also 'Doctrine and Covenants, 
sec. 135. 

^"Historical Record," Salt Lake City, June, 1889, Vol. VIII, 
pp. 865, 866. 

' See "Historical Record," Salt Lake City, June, 1889, Vol. 
VII, p. 870. 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



133 



Then followed the solemn and sacred shout : "Ho- 
sanna ! Hosanna ! Hosanna ! To God and the Lamb ! 
Amen ! Amen ! and Amen This was repeated a second 
and a third time : and in conclusion the President said : 
"So let it be, thou Lord Almighty.""' 

The somber clouds of persecution were gathering and 
thickening about the devoted people. Lender counsel from 
their leaders the people prepared once again to leave their 
homes; and this time they resolved to go beyond the 
boundaries of civilization. A general exodus was immi- 
nent; and as early as February, 1846, this had begun. 
Most of the Saints, however, remained for a short time; 
and with these the completion of the Temple was the main 
purpose and object of life. Though they knew the sacred 
edifice would soon be abandoned, they labored diligently 
to complete it, even to the smallest detail. 

By October, 1845, the building was so well advanced 
that large assemblies therein were possible. The general 
autumnal conference of the Church for that year was held 
within the walls ; and the congregation present on October 
5th numbered fully five thousand souls. During Decem- 
ber, 1845, and the early months of 1846, many of the 
Saints received their blessings and endowments in the 
Temple, for which purpose parts of the structure had 
been duly consecrated ; but not until the end of April was 
the building as a whole ready for dedication. 

The Nauvoo Temple was constructed for the most 
part of a close-grained, light-gray limestone, a material 
at once hard and durable, yet easily tooled, and therefore 
readily adapted to ornamental finish. The entire building 
was one hundred and twenty-eight feet by eighty-eight 



"Historical Record," Vol. VII, p. 870. 



134 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



feet, and sixty-five feet high in the clear. The top of the 
spire was one hundred and sixty-five feet above the 
ground and bore the figure of a flying herald sounding a 
trumpet. The plan of construction was that of a solid 
and stable four-walled building, two and a half stories 
high, with a hexagonal tower at the front rising in four 
terraces and a dome. Over the front center door, and 
immediately beneath the base of the tower, appeared an 
inscription : 

The House of the Lord 
Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
Holiness to the Lord 



On the outside were thirty pilasters, nine on each side 
and six at each end. At its base each pilaster presented 
in hewn relief the crescent moon, and ended above in a 
capital of cut stone depicting the face of the sun allegor- 
ically featured, with a pair of hands holding horns. 
Above the capitals was a frieze or cornice in which ap- 
peared thirty star-stones. In the late hours of April 30, 
1846, the Temple was privately, yet officially, dedicated, 
in the presence of such general authorities of the Church 
as could be convened. President Joseph Young of the 
First Council of Seventy offered the dedicatory prayer. 
The semi-private character of the dedication was due to 
the thought that possibly there would be interference in a 
public ceremony, so active was the spirit of intolerance 
and persecution. On the day following, that is to say 
May 1, 1846, services of a general and public nature were 
held in the Temple, under the direction of Elders Orson 



EARLY MODERN TEMPLES 



135 



Hyde and Wilford ^^'oodruff of the Council of the 
Tweh'e Apostles. 

The Saints had met the requirement made of them by 
the Lord in the buildino- of another House to His name. 
Ordinance work continued a few months more, even 
though the exodus of the people was in progress. In 
September, 1846, the Xauvoo Temple was in possession 
of the mob : and the people whose energy and substance, 
whose sweat and blood had been spent in its rearing, 
were driA'en into the wilderness or slain. For two years 
the once hallowed structure stood as an abandoned build- 
ing; then on November 19, 1848. it fell a prey to the 
wanton act of an incendiary. After the conflagration,, 
only blackened walls remained where once had stood so 
stately a sanctuary. Strange to say, an attempt was 
made by the Icarians, a local organization, to rebuild on 
the ruins, the professed intent being to provide for a 
school; but while the work was in its early stages a tor- 
nado demoHshed the greater part of the walls. This 
occurred on 3.1ay 27, 1850. AA'hat remained of the Tem- 
ple has been taken aAvay as souvenirs or used as building 
m.aterial for other structures. Stones of the Temple haA'e 
been carried into most of the states of the Union and 
beyond the seas, but upon the site where once stood the 
House of the Lord not one stone is left upon another. 
Before the demolition of the Nauvoo Temple was com- 
plete, the Latter-day Saints had established themselves 
in the vales of Utah, and were already preparing to build 
another and a greater sanctuary to the name and service 
of their God. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 
HISTORICAL 

Where in 1847 nought but a wilderness of sagebrush 
and sunflowers stretched from the Wasatch barrier west- 
ward toward the shores of the great salt sea, now appears 
a stately city, even as was then foreseen in prophetic 
vision. On the site selected but four days after the 
advent of the pioneer band of ''Mormon" colonizers, 
stands a massive structure, dedicated to the name of the 
Most High. It is at once an object of wonder and admi- 
ration to the visitor, and a subject of sanctifying joy 
and righteous pride to the people whose sacrifice and 
effort have given it being. 

On the east center tower appears an inscription, the 
letters deep-cut in stone and lined with gold: 

Holiness to the Lord 
The House of the Lord 
Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
Commenced April 6, 1853 
Completed April 6, 1893 

In one of the upper rooms a splendid art window pre- 
sents an excellent view of the completed building, with 
side inscriptions as follows : 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



137 



Corner stone laid April 6, 1853, by 
President Brigham Young 
Assisted by his Counselors 
Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards 

Dedicated April 6, 1893, by 
President Wilford Woodruff 
Assisted by his Counselors 
George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith 

These memorial tablets in stone and jeweled glass give 
the essentials as to dates in the history of the great Tem- 
ple ; some further data, however, may be of interest to the 
reader. 

The Temple Block, a square of ten acres, was laid off 
in 1847, and is today one of the choicest sites within the 
city. At the General Conference of the Church held in 
April, 1851, an official vote was taken whereby the erec- 
tion of the Temple was authorized. Be it remembered 
that this action was that of a people despoiled and in pov- 
erty, struggling with the unsubdued desert, the while 
menaced by hostile savages ; and that at the time the 
entire population of Utah did not exceed thirty thou- 
sand souls, of whom fewer than five thousand were living 
v/ithin the area of the prospective city. A general epistle 
issued by the First Presidency of the Church, April 7, 
1851, is instructive in this connection: 

"A railroad has been chartered to extend from the Tem- 
ple Block in this city to the stone quarry and mountain on 
the east, for the conveyance of building materials ; the 
construction to commence immediately. ^ ^ \Yg 
contemplate laying a wall around the Temple Block this 
season, preparatory to laying the foundation of a Temple 



138 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



the year following ; and this we will be sure to do, if all the 
Saints shall prove themselves as ready to pay their tithing, 
and sacrifice and consecrate of their substance, as freely as 
we will ; and if the Saints do not pay their tithing, we can 
neither build nor prepare for building; and if there shall 
be no Temple built, the Saints can have no endowments, 
and if they do not receive their endowments, they can never 
attain unto that salvation they are anxiously looking for."<^ 

It had been decided to surround the entire block by a 
substantial wall. The beginning of work on this enclo- 
sure was deferred through lack of material and men until 
August 3, 1852; but from that date it progressed with 
fair rapidity, and on May 23, 1857, the wall was finished, 
practically as it now stands. It extends a full city block, 
— one eighth of a mile in each of its four directions; and, 
it is interesting to note, these dimensions are practically 
the same as those which, according to Josephus, enclosed 
the grounds on which stood the Temple of Herod. ^ The 
wall has a base of cut stone, — a red standstone from the 
m.ountains on the east; the base is four feet in height, 
and supports courses of adobes which extend ten feet 
higher; then follows a coping of red sandstone one foot 
in thickness, giving the wall a total height of fifteen feet. 
The adobes are hidden by a durable dressing of cement. 
Passage to and from the square is provided for by large 
gates in the center of each of the four sides. When this 
wall was built. City Creek ran through Temple Block; 
the stream is now confined to a straight channel north of 
the block; and the arches under which the stream once 
passed may be seen in the base of the wall both on the 
east and west sides. 

«See Contributor, Vol. XIV: No. 6; April, 1893; p. 248. 
^ See Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XV, 11:3. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



139 



The construction of the wah, in itself a great and 
costly undertaking for people situated as were its build- 
ers, was but an incident to the greater labor of erecting 
the Temple. Interest in the work was never allowed to 
flag ; it was the theme of both poet and preacher, and the 
ever-pressing duty was kept in public view. The people 
were given to understand that the commission to build the 
Lord's House was theirs, and not that of their leaders 
alone. 

The site was dedicated and ground first broken for 
the foundation February 14, 1853. The occasion was a 
notable one, and was observed by the Saints as a day of 
general rejoicing. Between the date of breaking ground 
and the time of the next succeeding conference of the 
Church, preparations for the laying of the corner-stones 
were carried on with determination and vigor. The glad 
event occurred on the 6th of April, 1853, — the twenty- 
third anniversary of the organization of the Church, — 
and was celebrated by the people with such evidences of 
thanksgiving and genuine joy as assured their devotion to 
the work so auspiciously begun. Civic and military 
bodies took part; there were processions with bands of 
music, and solemn services with prayer. The mayor of 
the city was marshal of the day ; the city police served as 
a guard of honor, and the territorial militia marched with 
the congregation of the Saints. The placing of the 
corner-stones was celebrated as an accomplished triumph, 
though but a beginning. 

Let it not be imagined that the work was carried 
through without hindrance or set-back. The foundation 
was commenced at the south-east corner June 16, 1853, 
and was completed July 23, 18i5, A course of rub- 



140 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ble was laid on the actual foundation and this was. 
succeeded by courses of flagstone. The work had gone 
forward but slowly, when, in 1857, a serious interruption 
occurred. At that time the people prepared to abandon 
their homes, temporarily at least, and seek an abiding 
place elsewhere in the desert. The cause of the portend- 
ing exodus was the approach of an armed force sent by 
the United States government to subdue an alleged rebel- 
lion in Utah. This military movement had been ordered 
through an utter misunderstanding of facts, based on 
vicious misrepresentation. The coming of the soldiery 
had been heralded with dire threats of violence ; and while 
the people knew themselves innocent of any act of dis- 
lo3^alty toward the government or its officers, they had 
not forgotten the harrowing scenes of organized persecu- 
tion in Missouri and Illinois, due to misapprehension, and 
they preferred the uncertainties of the desert to the dread 
alternative of a possible repetition of the past. In the 
saddening preparations for departure, the people care- 
fully covered the foundation work on the site of the 
Temple; excavations were re-filled, and every vestige of 
masonry was obscured. At that time no part of the 
foundation had been carried above ground-level. When 
the cover ing-up process was complete, the site showed 
nothing more attractive than a remote resemblance to 
the barren stretch of a roughly plowed field. 

It is pleasing to note that a peaceable adjustment 
between the army and the people was effected. The 
Saints returned to their homes ; and the soldiers estab- 
lished a camp, — afterward to become a post, — at a dis- 
tance of forty miles from the city.^ 



c See the author's "The Story of Mormonism," pp. 63-81. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



141 



The interruption in building operations thus occa- 
sioned was followed by a short period of comparative 
inactivity, after the return of the people. The foundations 
were uncovered ; but, before the resumption of stone-lay- 
ing, it was found that the rubble overlying the foundation 
proper and immediately under the flagstone layers seemed 
to have less stability than was required; and straightway 
both flagging and rubble were removed. Stone of best 
quality was substituted, and the work of actual construc- 
tion was continued with renewed energy. The recon- 
struction was a work of years. 

The temple enclosure was for a brief period the com- 
munal center of mechanical industry, — the one great 
work-shop of the intermountain commonwealth. The 
Church had established there its public works, comprising 
a power plant in which the energy of City Creek was 
harnessed to the wheel, air-blast equipment, iron foundry, 
and machine shops for the working of both wood and 
metal."^ Much of the work here done had no connection 
with the extensive building operations on Temple Block. 

Beside the interruptions and delays already noted, 
other hindrances were inevitable, and, under the best of 
conditions progress could be but slow. Not until years 
after the '^move" incident to the entrance of the federal 
soldiery, had the material of the main structure been 
decided upon. As far back as the October conference of 
1852 the question of material had been considered. Oolite 



^_For description of this feature of early enterprise, see an 
admirable article, "The Salt Lake Temple," by James H. Ander- 
son, in 'The Contributor," Vol. XIV, No. 6, April, 1893. The 
article gives much detailed information concerning the work of 
erecting the Great Temple. 



142 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



from the quarries in Sanpete County, red standstone from 
the hills near-by, adobes with intermixed pebbles, — each 
had been suggested ; and the matter was brought to vote, 
though it must be admitted, the question presented was 
som.ewhat indefinite in form. At the forenoon session of 
the conference on October 9, 1852, President Heber C. 
Kimball submitted the question : "Shall we have the 
Temple built of stone from Red Butte, adobes, rock, or 
the best stone the mountains afford?" In reply a resolu- 
tion was adopted by unanimous vote to the effect "that 
we build a Temple of the best materials that can be 
obtained in the mountains of North America, and that 
the Presidency dictate where the stone and other ma- 
terials shall be obtained." The action is significant as 
showing the faith, reliance, and determination of the 
people. The Temple they were about to rear should be 
in every particular the best the people could produce. 
This modern House of the Lord was to be no temporary 
structure, nor of small proportions, nor of poor material, 
nor of mean or inadequate design. It was known at the 
outset that the building could not be finished for many a 
long year, for decades, perhaps, and by that time this 
colony would have become a commonwealth, the few 
would have grown to a multitude of souls. The Temple 
was to be worthy of the great future. Sandstone, oolite, 
adobe blocks, each and all were considered, and in turn 
rejected. The decision was to this effect,— the walls 
should be_of_solid^ranite. An enormous deposit of this 
durable stone had been discovered in the Cottonwood 
canyons, twenty miles to the south-east, and to those 
faith-impelled people it was enough to know that suit- 
able material was available. At whatever cost of toil 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



143 



and sacrifice, at whatever toll of self-denial and suffering, 
it should be procured. 

The so-called ''temple granite" is in reality a syenite, 
and occurs as an immense laccolith in the Cottonwood 
section of the Wasatch. The erosion of long ages had 
cut deep canyons through the eruptive mass ; and glaciers, 
descending with irresistible force, had dislodged and 
transported countless boulders, m.any of them of colossal 
size. These isolated blocks, known as erratics, furnished 
the supply of building stone : it was not found necessary 
to cjuarry into the granite mountain-mass in place. In 
the canyon the boulders were divided mostly by the use 
of hand-drills and wedges, though low power explosives 
were used to a small extent. The rough blocks were 
conve3^ed at first by ox-teams ; four yoke were required 
for each block, and every trip was a labored journey of 
three or four days. A canal for the conveyance of the 
rock by water was projected, and, indeed, work thereon 
was begun, but the plan was abandoned as the prospect 
of railroad transportation became more certain. 

The plan of the building was given by Brigham 
Young, President of the Church, and the structural details 
were worked out under his direction by the Church archi- 
tect — Truman O. Angell. A description by the latter 
was published as early as 1854, both in Utah'' and abroad.^ 



^ See "Deseret Xews," Salt Lake City, August 17, 1854. 

f See "Millennial Star," Liverpool, Vol. 16, p. 753. "The Illus- 
trated London Xews" of June 13, 1857, contains an article, "Mor- 
mon Temple in Salt Lake City," in which are given many speci- 
fications of construction. In connection with the text appears a 
large_ woodcut of the great building in perspective; and this pic- 
ture is a true representation of the finished structure except as 
to details of spires and finials. 



144 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



For convenience of comparison with the details of actual 
construction as now appear, this early announcement of 
what was then to be is here reproduced : 

"The Temple Block is forty rods square, the lines running 
north and south, east and west, and contains ten acres. The 
center of the Temple is one hundred and fifty-six feet six inches 
due west from the center of the east line of the block. The 
length of said House, east and west, is one hundred and eighty- 
six and a half feet, including towers, and the width ninety-nine 
feet. On the east end there are three towers, as also on the 
west. Draw a line north and south one hundred and eighteen 
and a half feet through the center of the towers, and you have 
the north and south extent of ground plan, including pedestal. 

"We depress into the earth, at the east end, to the depth of 
sixteen feet, and enlarge all around beyond the lines of wall 
three feet for a footing. 

"The north and south walls are eight feet thick, clear of 
pedestal; they stand upon a footing of sixteen feet wall, on its 
bearing, which slopes three feet on each side to the height of 
seven and a half feet. The footing of the towers rises to the 
same height as the side, and is one solid piece of masonry of 
rough ashlars, laid in good lime mortar. 

"The basement of the main building is divided into many 
rooms by walls, all having footings. The line of the base- 
ment floor is six inches above the top of the footing. From 
the tower on the east to the tower on the west, the face of the 
earth slopes six feet; four inches above the earth on the east 
line, begins a promenade walk, from eleven to twenty-two feet 
wide, around the entire building, and approached by stone steps 
on all sides. 

"There are four towers on the four corners of the building, 
each starting from their footing, of twenty-six feet square; these 
continue sixteen and a half feet and come to the line of the 
base string course, which is eight feet above the promenade 
walk. At this point the towers are reduced to twenty-five feet 
square; they then continue to the height of thirty-eight feet, 
or the height of the second string course. At this point they 
are reduced to twenty-three feet square; they then continue 
thirty-eight feet high, to the third string course. The string 
courses continue all around the building, except when separated 
by buttresses. These string courses are massive mouldings from 
solid blocks of stone. 

"The two east towers then rise twenty-five feet to a string 
course, or cornice. The two west towers rise nineteen feet and 
come to their string course or cornice. The four towers then 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



145 



rise nine feet to the top of battlements. These towers are cylin- 
drical, having seventeen feet diameter inside, within which stairs 
ascend around a solid column four feet in diameter, allowing 
landings at the various sections of the building. These towers 
have each five ornamental windows on two sides, above the 
basement. The two center towers occupy the center of the east 
and west ends of the building, starting from their footings thirty- 
one feet square, and break off in sections in line with the corner 
towers to the height of the third string course. The east center 
tower then rises forty feet to the top of battlements; the west 
center tower rises thirty-four feet to the top of battlements. All 
the towers have spires, the details of which are not decided on. 

"All these towers, at their corners, have octagon turrets, ter- 
minated by octagon pinnacles five feet diameter at base, four feet 
at first story, and three feet from there up. There are also on 
each side of these towers two buttresses, except when they 
come in contact with the body of the main building. The top of 
these buttresses show forty-eight in number, and . stand upon 
pedestals. The space between the buttresses and turrets is 
two feet at first story. On the front of two center towers are 
two large windows, each thirty-two feet high, one above the 
other, neatly prepared for that place. 

"On the two west corner towers, and on the west end, a few 
feet below the top of battlements, may be seen in bold or alto 
relievo, the great dipper, or Ursa Major, with the pointers rang- 
ing nearly towards the North Star. (Moral, the lost may find 
themselves by the Priesthood.) 

'T will now glance at the main body of the House. I have 
before stated that the basement was divided into many rooms. 
The center one is arranged for a baptismal font, and is fifty- 
seven feet long by thirty-fi-ve feet wide, separated from the main 
wall by four rooms, two on each side, nineteen feet long by 
twelve wide. On the east and west sides of these rooms are four 
passages twelve feet wide; these lead to and from by outside 
doors, two on the north and two on the south. Further east 
and west from these passages are four more rooms, two at each 
end, twenty-eight feet wide by thirty-eight and one-half long. 
These and their walls occupy the basement. All the walls start 
off their footings, and rise sixteen and one-half feet, and there 
stop with ground ceiling. 

"We are now up to the line of the base string course, eight 
feet above the promenade, or steps rising to the Temple, which 
terminates the cope of pedestal, and to the first floor of said 
House. This room is joined to the outer courts, these courts 
being the width between towers, sixteen feet by nine in the clear. 
We ascend to the floors of these courts (they being on a line 
with first floor of main house) by four flights of stone steps nine 
and one-half feet wide, arranged in the basement work; the first 



11 



146 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



step ranging to the outer line of towers. From these courts 
doors admit to any part of the building. 

"The size of the first large room is one hundred and twenty- 
feet long by eighty feet wide; the height reaches nearly to the 
second string course. The room is arched over in the center 
with an elliptical arch which drops at its flank ten feet, and has 
thirty-eight feet span. The side ceilings have one-fourth ellip- 
tical arches which start from the side walls of the main building, 
sixteen feet high, and terminate at the capitals of the columns 
or foot of center arch, at the height of twenty-four feet. The 
columns obtain their bearings direct from the footings of said 
house; these columns extend up to support the floor above. 

"The outside walls of this story are seven feet thick. The 
space from the termination of the foot of the center arch to the 
outer wall, is divided into sixteen compartments, eight on each 
side, making rooms fourteen feet by fourteen, clear of parti- 
tions, and ten feet high, leaving a passage six feet wide next to 
each flank of center arch, which is approached from the ends, 
These rooms are each lighted by an elliptical or oval window, 
whose major axis is vertical. 

"The second large room is one foot wider than the room 
below; this is in consequence of the wall being but six feet thick, 
falling off six inches on the inner, and six on the outer side. The 
second string course provides for this on the outside. The rooms 
of this story are similar to those below. The side walls have 
nine buttresses on a side, and have eight tiers of windows, five on 
each tier. 

"The foot of the basement windows are eight inches above 
the promenade, rise three feet perpendicular, and terminate with 
a semi-circular head. The first story windows have twelve feet 
length of sash, to top of semi-circular head. The oval windows 
have six and one-half feet length of sash. The windows of the 
second story are the same as those below. All these frames 
have four and one-half feet width of sash. 

"The pedestals under all the buttresses project at their base 
two feet; above their base, which is fifteen inches by four and a 
half feet wide, on each front, is a figure of a globe three feet 
eleven inches across, whose axis corresponds with the axis of the 
earth. 

"The base string course forms a cope for those pedestals. 
Above this cope the buttresses are three and a half feet, and 
continue to the height of one hundred feet. Above the prome- 
nade, close under the second string course, on each of the but- 
tresses, is the moon, represented in its different phases. Close 
under the third string course, or cornice, is the face of the sun. 
Immediately above is Saturn with her rings. The buttresses ter- 
minate with a projected cope. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



147 



"The only difference between the tower buttresses, and the 
one just described is, instead of Saturn being on them, we have 
clouds and rays of light descending downwards. 

"All of these symbols are to be chiseled in bas-relief on solid 
stone. The side walls continue above the string course, or cor- 
nice, eight and a half feet, making the walls ninety-six feet high, 
and are formed in battlements, interspersed with stars. 

"The roof is quite flat, rising only eight feet, and is to be 
covered with galvanized iron, or some other metal. The 
building is to be otherwise ornamented in many places. The 
whole structure is designed to symbolize some of the great archi- 
tectural work above. 

"The basement windows recede in, from the face of outer 
wall to sash frame, eighteen inches, and are relieved by a large 
caveto. Those windows above the base recede from face of wall 
to sash frame, three feet, and are surrounded by stone jambs 
formed in mouldings, and surmounted by labels over each, which 
terminate at their horizon, excepting the oval windows, whose 
labels terminate on columns which extend from an enriched 
string course, at the foot of each window, to the center of major 
axis. 

"My chief object in the last paragraph is to show to the judg- 
ment of any who may be baffled, how those windows can be 
come at, etc. All the windows in the towers are moulded, and 
have stone jambs; each being crowned with label mouldings. 

"For further particulars, wait till the House is done, then 
come and see it. 

"The whole House covers an area of twenty-one thousand 
eight hundred and fifty feet." 

The entrance of the Union Pacific Railway into Utah, 
in 1868, served temporarily to retard work on the Tem- 
ple, as the call for laborers on the great trans-continental 
line was deemed imperative. Eventually, however, the 
activity in railroad construction operated as a great assist- 
ance in the undertaking; for, to the main line, branches 
succeeded; and, by 1873, a side line had reached the gran- 
ite quarries. From the city station a track was con- 
structed up South Temple Street, and into Temple Block. 

The work of construction proceeded so slowly as to 



148 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



arouse a feeling akin to impatience in the hearts of over- 
anxious Saints, and mild restraint was called for. At 
other times gentle urging was necessary. The work was 
apportioned to the people of the Territory, which, for 
convenience, was divided into temple districts. Stakes 
and wards and quorums of the Priesthood were assigned 
their parts, and an effective system of divided labor and 
responsibility was developed.-^ 

President Brigham Young died in 1877, at which 
time the granite walls of the Temple had reached a height 
of about twenty feet above ground. During the admin- 
istration of his successor, President John Taylor, the 
work was continued without important interruption for 
another decade, and thereafter was urged with even 
greater vigor under the direction of Wilford Woodruff, 
the next President of the Church. As the concluding 
laps of a race are generally marked by increased energy 
incident to the final spurt — the supreme effort to reach 
the end in glory and triumph, as in a powerful drama, 
interest becomes more intense, and action more concen- 
trated with the approach of the finale, so, in this great 
undertaking, the fact that the end was looming above the 
horizon of sight called forth redoubled energies on the 
part of the people. When the granite had risen to the 
square, and when the spires began to appear in place, a 
feeling of almost feverish anxiety was manifest through- 
out the Church. 



s As an instance of these separate assignments, and as an 
example of direct appeal to the various organizations within the 
Church, see the circular letter, issued in 1876 by the authority of 
the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, 
addressed to Elders, Seventies, and High Priests; this appears 
in "Contributor," Vol. XIV, pp. 267-8. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



149 



LAYING OF THE CAPSTONE 

The sixth day of April, 1892, was determined upon 
as the date for placing in position the capstone of the 
Temple, and the announcement was hailed with joy in 
every ward and branch of the Church, and in every house- 
hold of the Saints. 

The day marked the close of the annual Conference, 
and was hallowed by all the observances of solemn assem- 
bly. As a preliminary to the principal ceremony, a vast 
congregation had assembled in the Tabernacle at an early 
hour, and in this the several organizations of the Priest- 
hood occupied distinctive places on the main floor while 
the galleries were reserved for the accommodation of 
the general public. At the close of an impressive service, 
the multitude proceeded in formal procession to the open 
space on the south side of the Temple, where a temporary 
platform had been erected with the flag of the nation 
waving above. An adjoining stand accommodated the 
choir, which numbered over two hundred singers. There 
was band music of the highest order, and every essential 
element of fervent worship combined with joyous cele- 
bration had been provided. 

Over forty thousand people were gathered within the 
confines of Temple Block ; and other thousands, unable 
to find a place in the great square, stood in the streets or 
looked down from roofs and windows of adjoining build- 
ings. It is of record unchallenged that this assembly was 
the largest ever known in Utah. At high noon the special 
service was begun. The music of both band and choir, 
the marches, and anthems, and hymns, had been specially 
composed for the joyous occasion. The prayer was 



150 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



offered by President Joseph F. Smith, of the First Presi- 
dency, and the great ''Amen" was echoed by two score 
thousand throats. A hymn fohowed; and then the ven- 
erable President of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, 
stepped to the front and announced that the auspicious 
moment, so long awaited, had arrived. These were his 
ringing words: 

'Attention all ye house of Israel, and all ye nations of 
the earth! We will now lay the top-stone of the Temple 
of our God, the foundation of which was laid and dedicated 
by the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, Brigham Young." 

At this juncture the president closed an electric circuit 
on the stand, and the granite hemisphere, forming the 
highest block of the great Temple, slowly descended into 
position. Then followed a scene the like of which is 
never enacted by this people except on occasions of extra- 
ordinary solemnity, namely, the rendering of the sacred 
Hosanna shout. Led by Lorenzo Snow, President of 
the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the forty thousand 
Saints shouted as with the voice of one : 

"Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb! 
Amen ! Amen ! Amen !" 

This was repeated thrice, each shout accompanied by 
the waving of white kerchiefs. 

From the roof of the building came the voice of the 
architect-in-charge, J. Don Carlos Young, declaring that 
the capstone was duly laid, and choir and congregation 
broke forth in triumphant song: 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



151 



"The Spirit of God like a fire is burning ! 

The latter-day glory begins to come forth ; 
The visions and blessings of old are returning, 

And angels are coming to visit the earth. 
We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven, 

Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb ! 
Let glory to them in the highest be given, 

Henceforth and forever ; Amen and Amen !" 

Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Council of the Twelve 
then proposed the adoption of the resolution presented 
below : 

"Believing that the instruction of President Woodruff, 
respecting the early completion of the Salt Lake Temple, is 
the word of the Lord unto us, I propose that this assem- 
blage pledge themselves, collectively and individually, to 
furnish, as fast as it may be needed, all the money that may 
be required to complete the Temple at the earliest time pos- 
sible, so that the dedication may take place on April 6th, 
1893." 

The adoption was manifested by a deafening shout 
from the assembled multitude, accompanied by the raising 
of hands. The final anthem was the glorious "Song of 
the Redeemed" — particularly appropriate to the hour; 
and the benediction was pronounced by President George 
Q. Cannon. 

The topstone and the granite block upon which it im- 
mediately rests form a sphere. Within the lower half a 
cavity had been prepared ; and in this were placed certain 
books and other articles, so that, as the capstone was laid, 
it formed a secure and massive lid to this stone receptacle. 
The stone contains a copy of the Holy Bible, Book of 
Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Voice of Warning, 



152 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Spencer's Letters, Key to Theology, Hymn Book, Com- 
pendium, Pearl of Great Price, and some other books; 
also photographs of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Brigham 
Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Can- 
non, and Joseph F. Smith, a photograph of the Temple 
as it appeared at the time ; and, in addition, an engraved 
tablet of copper setting forth the principal dates in the 
history of the building and bearing the names of the 
general authorities of the Church as they stood April 6, 
1853, and as constituted at the time of the capstone cere- 
mony, April 6, 1892. 

Later in the day, the top-stone was surmounted by the 
great statue — a figure intended to represent Moroni, the 
heavenly messenger who ministered to the youthful 
prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1823. The figure, over twelve 
feet in height, is of copper heavily gilded. It is in the 
form of a herald with a trumpet at his lips.^ 

COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING AND ITS DEDICATION 

The adoption of a plan or the formal passing of a 
resolution by vote is an easy matter, compared with which 
the working out of that plan, the achieving of what was 
provided for by the vote, may be a gigantic task. Such 
was the contrast between the action of the assembled mul- 
titude on the 6th of April, 1892, and the work accom- 
plished in the year that followed. 

When the capstone of the Temple was laid, the scene 
inside the walls was that of chaos and confusion. To 
finish the interior within a year appeared a practical im- 
possibility. The task the people had taken upon them- 



^' See Revelation 14:6,7; also Pearl of Great Price, Writings 
of Joseph Smith II, 30-48. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



153 



selves was almost superhuman. Nevertheless, they con- 
sidered the instruction to complete the building within 
the specified time to be verily the word of the Lord unto 
them, and they remembered the utterance of the ancient 
prophet, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments 
unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for 
them that they may accomplish the thing which he com- 
mandeth them."' The Saints regarded their act of voting 
to be equivalent to the affixing of their individual sig- 
natures to a note of promise. As to how well they met 
their obligation and kept their promise, let the achieve- 
ment of the year speak. 

The people had pledged themselves "collectively and 
individually to furnish as fast as it may be needed, all 
the money that may be required to complete the Temple at 
as early a time as possible, so that the dedication may 
take place on April 6, 1893." The pledge was met in 
full. Under date of April 21, 1892, the First Presidency 
issued a general epistle addressed to the Latter-day Saints 
in Zion and throughout the world, directing that the 
people gather in their places of v/orship on Sunday, the 
first day of May, and devote the day to solemn fasting 
and prayer. To this call the people responded faithfully. 
Mingled with their thanksgiving for the manifold bless- 
ings of the past, were fervent supplications for success 
in the work of completing the Lord's House within the 
time prescribed.-^ 

In the work of finishing the Temple, it was all-impor- 
tant that there be a competent, responsible man in charge, 

^'See Book of Mormon, I Nephi 3:7. 

^ For the epistle in full, see "Contributor," Vol. XIV, pp. 
280-281. 



154 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



who should be invested with executive authority in every 
department of the labor. While the First Presidency 
and the Council of the Twelve retained in their hands the 
directing power, they needed an agent who could be 
trusted to act with promptness, decision, and authority on 
every question that should arise. The choice of the pre- 
siding authorities for a man to fill this responsible posi- 
tion fell upon John R. Winder, who was at that time 
Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and who 
afterward became First Counselor in the First Presi- 
dency of the Church. At the time of his appointment to 
the responsible position of General Superintendent of 
Temple Work, April 16, 1892, President Winder was in 
his seventy-second year, yet he possessed the energy and 
activity of youth, combined with the wisdom and discre- 
tion that age alone can give. Under his efficient super- 
vision, work on the interior of the Temple progressed at a 
rate that surprised even the workers. Laborers of all 
classes, mechanics, masons, plasterers, carpenters, gla- 
ziers, plumbers, painters, decorators, artisans and artificers 
of every kind, were put to work. The people verily 
believed that a power above that of man was operating 
to assist them in their great undertaking. Material, much 
of which was of special manufacture, came in from the 
east and the west, with few of the usual delays of 
transit. 

Heating and lighting systems were installed ; and this 
installation necessitated the erection of a boiler house, 
with all accessories of equipment. Moreover, the Annex 
had to be built. At this point it may be well to explain 
that each of the Temples in Utah is connected with a sep- 
arate structure, known as the Annex, — in the nature of 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



155 



an ante-building, — in which preliminary services are held, 
and wherein record is made of the ordinance work to 
be done by the parties present, before they are permitted 
to enter the Temple on the day of service. The Annex to 
the Temple in Salt Lake City stands about one hundred 
feet north from the main structure. 

Even as late as one month prior to the date set for 
the dedication, there was so much yet to be done, as to 
make many feel that for once at least, the people had 
been mistaken in their belief that the Lord had spoken, 
and that the completion of the work by the time set, was 
a physical impossibility. On the 18th of March, 1893, 
the First Presidency issued the following epistle : 

"To the Officers and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
ter-day Saints: 

"The near approach of the date for the dedication of the j^em- 
ple of our God moves us to express with some degree of fulness 
our feelings to our brethren, the officers of the Church, who 
with us bear the Priesthood of the Son of God, and to the Lat- 
ter-day Saints generally; to the end that in entering that holy 
building we may all be found acceptable ourselves, with our 
households, and that the building which we shall dedicate may 
also be acceptable unto the Lord. 

"The Latter-day Saints have used their means freely to erect 
other Temples in these valleys, and our Father has blessed us in 
our efforts. Today we enjoy the great happiness of having three 
of these sacred structures completed, dedicated to and accepted 
of the Lord, wherein the Saints can enter and attend to those 
ordinances which He, in His infinite goodness and kindness, has 
revealed. But for forty years the hopes, desires, and anticipa- 
tions of the entire Church have been centered upon the comple- 
tion of this edifice in the principal city of Zion. Its foundation 
was laid in the early days of our settlement in these mountains; 
and from that day until the present, the eyes of the members of 
the Church in every land have been lovingly directed toward it. 
Looking upon it as the Temple of temples, the people during all 
these years have labored with unceasing toil, undiminished 
patience, and ungrudging expenditure of means to bring it to its 
present condition of completion; and now that the toils and the 
sacrifices of forty years are crowned so successfully and happily, 



156 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



now that the great building is at last finished and ready to be 
used for divine purposes, need we say that we draw near an 
event whose consummation is to us as a people momentous in 
the highest degree? Far-reaching in its consequences, as that 
occasion is certain to be, what remains for us to say in order to 
impress the entire Church with a sense of its tremendous im- 
portance? 

"On this point, surely nothing; yet may we offer a few words 
upon a phase that directly touches it. No member of the Church 
who would be deemed worthy to enter that sacred house can be 
considered ignorant of the principles of the Gospel. It is not 
too much to presume that every one knows what his duty is to 
God and to his fellowman. None is so forgetful as to have lost 
sight of the admonition that we must be filled with love for and 
charity toward our brethren. And hence none can for a moment 
doubt the supreme importance of every member of the congre- 
gation being at peace with all his or her brethren and sisters, and 
at peace with God. How else can we hope to gain the blessings 
He has promised save by complying with the requirements for 
which those blessings are the reward? 

"Can men and women who are violating a law of God, or 
those who are derelict in yielding obedience to His commands, 
expect that the mere going into His holy house and taking part 
in its dedication will render them worthy to receive, and cause 
them to receive, His blessing? 

"Do they think that repentance and turning away from sm 
may be so lightly dispensed with? 

"Do they dare, even in thought, thus to accuse our Father of 
injustice and partiality, and attribute to Him carelessness in the 
fulfilment of His own words? 

"Assuredly no one claiming to belong to His people would 
be guilty of such a thing. 

"Then must those who are unworthy cease to expect a bless- 
ing from their attendance at the Temple while sin unrepented of 
still casts its odor about them, and while bitterness or even an 
unforgiving coolness exists in their hearts against their brethren 
and sisters. 

"On this latter subject we feel that much might be said. In 
the striving after compliance with the apparently weightier 
matters of the law, there is a possibility that the importance of 
this spirit of love and kindness and charity may be underesti- 
mated. For ourselves, we cannot think of any precept that at 
present requires more earnest inculcation. 

"During the past eighteen months there has been a division 
of the Latter-day Saints upon national party lines. Political cam- 
paigns have been conducted, elections have been held, and feel- 
ings, more or less intense, have been engendered in the minds of 
brethren and sisters upon one side and the other. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



157 



"We have been cognizant of conduct and have heard of many- 
expressions that have been very painful to us and have grieved 
our spirits. 

"We know they hs-ve been an offense unto the God of peace 
and love, and a stumbling block unto many of the Saints. 

"We feel now that a time for reconciliation has come; that 
before entering into the Temple to present ourselves before the 
Lord in solemn assembly, we shall divest ourselves of every 
harsh and unkind feeling against each other; that not only our 
bickerings shall cease, but that the cause of them shall be 
removed, and every sentiment that prompted and has maintained 
them shall be dispelled; that we shall confess our sins one to 
another, and ask forgiveness one of another; that we shall plead 
with the Lord for the spirit of repentance, and, having obtained 
it, follow its promptings; so that in humlDling ourselves before 
Him and seeking forgiveness from each other, we shall yield 
that charity and generosity to those who crave our forgiveness 
that we a-sk for and expect from heaven. 

"Thus may we come up into the holy place with our hearts 
free from guile and our souls prepared for the edification that is 
promised! Thus shall our supplications, undisturbed by a 
thought of discord, unitedly mount into the ears of Jehovah and 
draw down the choice blessings of the God of Heaven! 

"As your brethren, sustained by your vote and in your faith as 
the First Presidency of the Church, we have this to say to the 
Latter-day Saints, in our individual as well as our official 
capacity: If there is a single member of the Church who has 
feelings against us, we do not wish to cross the threshold of the 
Temple until we have satisfied him and have removed from him 
all cause of feeling, either hy explanation or by making proper 
amends and atonement; neither would we wish to enter the 
sacred portals of that edifice until we have sought an explana- 
tion, or amends, or atonement, from any against whom we may 
have either a real or fancied grievance. 

"In now announcing this course for ourselves, we say to all 
the other officers of the Church that we desire them to follow 
our example. We wish them from the highest to the lowest and 
throughout all the stakes and wards of Zion to take heed of 
this counsel. Let them invite all who may have feelings against 
them to come forward and make them known; let them then 
endeavor to correct any misapprehensions or misunderstandings 
which may exist, or give redress for any wrong or injury that 
may have been done. 

"We say the same — and when the officers have taken the 
course indicated we wish them to say the same — to the individual 
members of the Church. We call upon them to seek to have the 
fellowship of their brethren and their sisters, and their entire 
confidence and love; above all to seek to have the fellowship and 



158 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



union of the Holy Ghost. Let this spirit be sought and cher- 
ished as diHgently within the smallest and humblest family circle, 
as within the membership of the highest organization and quo- 
rum. Let it permeate the hearts of the brothers and sisters, 
the parents and children of the household, as well as the hearts 
of the First Presidency and Twelve. Let it mellow and soften 
all differences between members of the Stake Presidencies and 
the High Councils, as well as between neighbors living in the 
same ward. Let it unite young and old, male and female, flock 
and shepherd, people and Priesthood, in the bonds of gratitude 
and forgiveness and love, so that Israel may feel approved of 
the Lord, and that we may all come before Him with a con- 
science void of offense before all men. Then there will be no 
disappointment as to the blessings promised those who sincere- 
ly worship Him. The sweet whisperings of the Holy Spirit will 
be given to them and the treasures of heaven, the communion 
of angels, will be added from time to time, for His promise has 
gone forth and it cannot fail! 

"Asking God's blessing upon you all in your endeavor to 
carry out this counsel, and desirous of seeing it take the form 
of a united effort on the part of the whole people, we suggest 
that Saturday, March 25th, 1893, be set apart as a day of fasting 
and prayer. On that occasion we advise that the Presidencies 
of Stakes, the High Councils, the Bishops and their Counselors, 
meet together with the Saints in their several meeting houses, 
confess their sins one to another, and draw out from the people 
all feelings of anger, of distrust, or of unfriendliness that may 
have found a lodgment; so that entire confidence may then and 
there be restored and love from this time prevail through all the 
congregations of the Saints." 

It was evident that the authorities of the Church 
reaHzed the importance of preparing for the great event 
of the dedication in other ways than by material construc- 
tion and costly furnishings. The hearts of the people had 
to be made ready; it was necessary that Israel be sancti- 
fied. Throughout the length and breadth of Zion there 
was a general cleansing of mind and soul ; enmity was 
buried; bickering ceased; differences between brethren 
were adjusted; offenses were atoned and forgiven; a 
veritable jubilee was celebrated, 

— The finishing touches to the interior of the building 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



159 



were made late in the afternoon of April 5th, and in the 
evening of that day, the Temple was thrown open to 
general inspection. Not only were members of the 
Church admitted; many honorable men and women who 
had never affiliated with the Church were invited to the 
number of over one thousand, and they passed through 
the Temple from basement to top. In view of the cur- 
rent belief that the Temples of the Latter-day Saints are 
never open to the gaze of non-members, this fact is of 
significant importance. 

On the morning of the 6th of April, 1893, Wilford 
V/oodruff, President of the Church, led the way through 
the south-west door into the sacred precincts. The event 
has been not inaptly likened to that of Joshua leading 
Israel into the promised land. The venerable President 
was followed by the rest of the general authorities of the 
Church, and these in turn by other Church officials and 
such members as had been specially designated to take 
part in the first dedication service. Of the tens of thou- 
sands of Saints who desired to be present, whose rightful 
privilege it was to attend, and who had contributed of 
their substance to the building of the greatest Temple of 
modern times, but few could be accommodated on the 
day of dedication. The assem.bly room, vv^hich with its 
vestries occupies the entire upper floor, had been fur- 
nished with seating accommodations for two thousand 
tw^o hundred and fifty-two persons. It was arranged, 
therefore, that services be repeated twice daily, to con- 
tinue from April 6th until all who were entitled to ad- 
mission had had opportunity to be present. 

On the first day, the following were admitted to take 
part in what will always be remembered as the official 



160 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



dedicatory session : The First Presidency, the Council of 
the Twelve Apostles, the Presiding Patriarch, the First 
Council of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric, and all 
other general authorities of the Church, and in addition. 
Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, members of 
Stake High Councils, Patriarchs, Presidents of High 
Priests' Quorums and their Counselors, Presidents of 
Quorums of Seventies, Bishops of Wards and their 
Counselors. Admission was extended to the wives and 
immediate families of all the Church officials named. To 
the later sessions, admission was regulated so that par- 
ticular wards and stakes had each a special assignment 
as to time. 

No one was admitted without a formal certificate, 
conventionally known as a ''recommend," signed by the 
Bishop of his ward and the President of his stake. In 
a circular of instruction relating to the dedication the 
following appears : 'Tt will be necessary for each appli- 
cant to show his or her recommend to the gate-keeper, in 
order to pass. The recommend will then be taken up by 
a ticket-man inside the gate. No person will be admitted 
without a recommend, on any occasion." Services were 
held daily from April 6th, to April 18th, inclusive, and 
again on the 23rd and 24th. Usually two sessions were 
held each day, but on the 7th of April, an evening session 
was added. While children under eight years of age, and 
therefore unbaptized, were not admitted to the general 
sessions, special days were set apart for their accommoda- 
tion; thus April 21st and 22nd,^ — Friday and Saturday, — 
were reserved for Sunday School children, under the 
prescribed age for baptism. 

At the first service, — the official dedication, — the 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 161 



prayer was offered by President Wilford Woodruff, and 1 
at each succeeding session the prayer was read. The 
prayer itself is at once a sermon and a supplication; it 
is expressive of the inmost thoughts of the people; it is 
an epitome of the history of the Saints and the condition 
of the Church at that time. 
The prayer follows in full: 

"Our Father in heaven, thou who hast created the heavens 
and the earth, and all things that are therein; thou most glorious 
One, perfect in mercy, love, and truth, we, thy children, come 
this day before thee, and in this house which we have built to 
thy most holy name, humbly plead the atoning blood of thine 
Only Begotten Son, that our sins may be remembered no more 
against us forever, but that our prayers may ascend unto thee 
and have free access to thy throne, that we may be heard in thy 
holy habitation. And may it graciously please thee to hearken 
unto our petitions, answer them according to thine infinite wis- 
dom and love, and grant that the blessings which we seek may 
be bestowed upon us, even a hundred fold, inasmuch as we seek 
with purity of heart and fulness of purpose to do thy will and 
glorify thy name. 

"We thank thee, O thou Great Elohim, that thou didst raise 
up thy servant, Joseph Smith, through the loins of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob, and made him a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, 
and through the assistance and administrations of angels from 
heaven, thou didst enable him to bring forth the Book of Mor- 
mon, — the stick of Joseph, in the hand of Ephraim, — in fulfil- 
ment of the prophecies of Isaiah and other prophets, which 
record has been translated and published in many languages. 
We also thank thee, our Father in heaven, that thou didst inspire 
thy servant and give him power on the earth to organize thy 
Church in this goodly land, in all its fulness, power and glory, 
with Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers, with all the 
gifts and graces belonging thereto, and all this by the power of 
the Aaronic and Melchisedek Priesthood, which thou didst 
bestow upon him by the administration of holy angels, who held 
that Priesthood in the days of the Savior. We thank thee, our 
God, that thou didst enable thy servant Joseph to build two tem- 
ples, in which ordinances were administered for the living and 
the dead; that he also lived to send the Gospel to the nations of 
the earth and to the islands of the sea, and labored exceedingly 
until he was martyred for the word of God and the testimony 
of Jesus Christ. 

"We also thank thee, O our Father in heaven, that thou didst 



12 



162 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



raise up thy servant Brigham Young, who held the keys of thy 
Priesthood on the earth for many years, and who led thy people 
to these valleys of the mountains, and laid the corner-stone of 
this great Temple and dedicated it unto thee, and who did direct 
the building of three other temples in these Rocky Mountains 
which have been dedicated unto thy holy name, in which tem- 
ples many thousands of the living have been blessed and the 
dead redeemed. 

"Our Father in heaven, we are also thankful to thee for thy 
servant John Taylor, who followed in the footsteps of thy ser- 
vant Brigham, until he laid down his life in exile. 

"Thou hast called thy servants Wilford Woodruff, George Q. 
Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, to hold the keys of the Presi- 
dency and Priesthood this day, and for these shepherds of thy 
flock we feel to give thee thanksgiving and praise. Thy servant 
Wilford is bound to acknowledge thy hand, O Father, in the 
preservation of his life from the hour of his birth to the present 
day. Nothing but thy power could have preserved him through 
that which he has passed during the eighty-six years that thou 
hast granted him life on the earth. 

"For the raising up of the Twelve Apostles, we also thank 
thee, our God, and for the perfect union which exists among us. 

"We thank thee, O Lord, for the perfect organizations of thy 
Church as they exist at the present time. 

"O Lord, we regard with intense and indescribable feelings 
the completion of this sacred house. Deign to accept this the 
fourth temple which thy covenant children have been assisted 
by thee in erecting in these mountains. In past ages thou didst 
inspire with thy Holy Spirit thy servants, the prophets, to speak 
of a time in the latter days when the mountain of the Lord's 
house should be established in the top of the mountains, and 
should be exalted above the hills. We thank thee that we have 
had the glorious opportunity of contributing to the fulfilment of 
these visions of thine ancient seers, and that thou hast conde- 
scended to permit us to take part in the great work. And as 
this portion of thy servants' words has thus so marvelously 
been brought to pass, we pray thee, with increased faith and 
renewed hope, that all their words with regard to thy great work 
in gathering thine Israel and building up thy kingdom on earth 
in the last days may be as amply fulfilled, and that, O Lord, 
speedily. 

"We come before thee with joy and thanksgiving, with spirits 
jubilant and hearts filled with praise, that thou hast permitted us 
to see this day for which, during these forty years, we have 
hoped, and toiled, and prayed, when we can dedicate unto thee 
this house which we have built to thy most glorious name. One 
year ago we set the capstone with shouts of Hosanna to God and 
the Lamb. And today we dedicate the whole unto thee, with 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



163 



all that pertains unto it, that it may be holy in thy sight; that it 
may be a house of prayer, a house of praise and of worship; that 
thy glory may rest upon it; that thy holy presence may be con- 
tinually in it; that it may be the abode of thy Well-Beloved Son, 
our Savior; that the angels who stand before thy face may be 
the hallowed messengers who shall visit it, bearing to us thy 
wishes and thy will, that it may be sanctified and consecrated 
in all its parts holy unto thee, the God of Israel, the Almighty 
Ruler of mankind. And we pray thee that all people who may 
enter upon the threshold of this, thine house, may feel thy power 
and be constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, 
that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness. 

"We pray thee. Heavenly Father, to accept this building in 
all its parts from foundation to capstone, with the statue that 
is on the latter placed, and all the finials and other ornaments 
that adorn its exterior. We pray thee to bless, that they decaj 
not, all the walls, partitions, floors, ceilings, roofs and bridging, 
the elevators, stairways, railings and steps, the frames, doors, 
windows, and other openings, all things connected with the 
lighting, heating, and sanitary apparatus, the boilers, engines, 
and dynamos, the connecting pipes and wires, the lamps and 
burners, and all utensils, furniture and articles used in or con- 
nected with the holy ordinances administered in this house, the 
veils and the altars, the baptismal font and the oxen on which 
it rests, and all that pertains thereto, the baths, washstands and 
basins. Also the safes and vaults in which the records are pre- 
served, with the records themselves, and all books, documents, 
and papers appertaining to the office of the recorder, likewise 
the library with all the books, maps, instruments, etc., that may 
belong thereto. We also present before thee, for thine accept- 
ance, all the additions and buildings not forming a part of the 
main edifice, but being appendages thereto; and we pray thee to 
bless all the furniture, seats, cushions, curtains, hangings, locks 
and fastenings, and multitudinous other appliances and appur- 
tenances found in and belonging to this Temple and its annexes, 
with all the work of ornamentation thereon, the painting and 
plastering, the gilding and bronzing, the fine work in wood and 
metal of every kind, the embroidery and needlework, the pic- 
tures and statuary, the carved work and canopies. Also the 
materials of which the buildings and their contents are made or 
composed — the rock, lime, mortar and plaster, the timbers and 
lath, the wood of various trees, the gold and silver, the brass 
and iron, and all other metals, the silk, wool, and cotton, the 
skins and furs, the glass, china, and precious stones, all these and 
all else herein we humbly present for thine acceptance and 
sanctifying blessing. 

"Our Father in heaven, we present before thee the altars 
which we have prepared for thy servants and handmaidens to 



164 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



receive their sealing blessings. We dedicate them in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, unto thy most holy name, and we ask 
thee to sanctify these altars, that those who come unto them 
may feel the power of the Holy Ghost resting upon them, and 
realize the sacredness of the covenants they enter into. And we 
pray that our covenants and contracts which we make with thee 
and with each other may be directed by thy Holy Spirit, be 
sacredly kept by us, and accepted by thee, and that all the bless- 
ings pronounced may be realized by all thy Saints who come to 
these altars, in the morning of the resurrection of the just. 

"O Lord, we pray thee to bless and sanctify the whole of this 
block or piece of ground on which these buildings stand, with 
the surrounding walls and fences, the walks, paths, and orna 
mental beds, also the trees, plants, flowers and shrubbery that 
grow in its soil; may they bloom and blossom and become ex- 
ceedingly beautiful and fragrant; and may thy Spirit dwell in 
the midst thereof, that this plot of ground may be a place of 
rest and peace, for holy meditation and inspired thought. 

"Preserve these buildings, we beseech thee, from injury or 
destruction by flood or fire; from the rage of the elements, the 
shafts of the vivid lightning, the overwhelming blasts of the hur- 
ricane, the flames of consuming fire, and the upheavals of the 
earthquake, O Lord, protect them. 

"Bless, we pray thee, heavenly Father, all who may be work- 
ers in this house. Remember continually thy servant who shall 
be appointed to preside within its walls; endow him richly with 
the wisdom of the Holy One, with the spirit of his calling, with 
the power of his Priesthood, and with the gift of discernment. 
Bless, according to their calling, his assistants and all who are 
associated with him in the performance of the ordinances, — ■ 
baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, sealings, endow- 
ments, and ordinations which are performed herein, that all that 
is done may be holy and acceptable unto thee, thou God of our 
salvation. Bless the recorders and copyists, that the records of 
the Temple may be kept perfect, and without omissions and 
errors, and that they may also be accepted of thee. Bless, in 
their several positions, the engineers, watchmen, guards, and all 
others who have duties to perform in connection with the house, 
that they may perform them unto thee with an eye single to 
thy glory. 

"Remember also in thy mercy all those who have labored in 
the erection of this house, or who have, in any way, by their 
means or influence aided in its completion; may they in no wise 
lose their reward. 

"O thou God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
whose God thou delightest to be called, we thank thee with all 
the fervor of overflowing gratitude that thou hast revealed the 
powers by which the hearts of the children are being turned to 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



165 



their fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children, that 
the sons of men, in all their generations can be made partak- 
ers of the glories and joys of the kingdom of heaven. Confirm 
upon us the spirit of Elijah, we pray thee, that we may thus 
redeem our dead and also connect ourselves with our fathers 
who have passed behind the veil, and furthermore seal up our 
dead to come forth in the first resurrection, that we who dwell 
on earth may be bound to those who dwell in heaven. We thank 
thee for their sake who have finished their work in mortality, 
as well as for our own, that the prison doors have been opened, 
that deliverance has been proclaimed to the captive, and the 
bonds have been loosened from those who were bound. We 
praise thee that our fathers, from last to first, from now, back 
to the beginning, can be united with us in indissoluble links, 
welded by the holy Priesthood, and that as one great family 
united in thee and cemented by thy power we shall together 
stand before thee, and by the power of the atoning blood of 
thy Son be delivered from all evil, be saved and sanctified, 
exalted and glorified. Wilt thou also permit holy messengers to 
visit us within these sacred walls and make known unto us with 
regard to the work we should perform in behalf of our dead. 
And, as thou hast inclined the hearts of many who have not yet 
entered into covenant with thee to search out their progenitors, 
and in so doing they have traced the ancestry of many of thy 
Saints, we pray thee that thou wilt increase this desire in their 
bosoms, that they may in this way aid in the accomplishment of 
thy work. Bless them, we pray thee, in their labors, that they 
may not fall into errors in preparing their genealogies; and 
furthermore, we ask thee to open before them new avenues of 
information, and place in their hands the records of the past, 
that their work may not only be correct but complete also. 

"O thou Great Father of the spirits of all flesh, graciously 
bless and fully qualify those upon whom thou hast placed a por- 
tion of thine authority, and who bear the responsibilities and 
powers of the Priesthood which is after the order of thy Son. 
Bless them all from first to last, from thy servant who repre- 
sents thee in all the world to the latest who has been ordained 
to the Deacon's office. Upon each and all confer the spirit of 
their calling, with a comprehension of its duties and a loving 
zeal to fulfil them. Endow them with faith, patience and under- 
standing. May their lives be strong in virtue and adorned with 
humility; may their ministrations be effectual, their prayers be 
availing, and their teachings the path of salvation. May they 
be united by the Spirit and power of God in all their labors, and 
in every thought, word and act may they glorify thy name and 
vindicate the wisdom that has made them kings and priests 
unto thee. 

"For thy servants of the First Presidency of the Church we 



166 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



first of all pray. Reveal, in great clearness, thy mind and will 
unto them in all things essential for the welfare of thy people; 
give them heavenly wisdom, abounding faith, and the power 
and gifts necessary to enable them to preside acceptably unto 
thee over the officers and members of thy Church. Remember 
in love thy servant whom thou hast called to be a Prophet, Seer, 
and Revelator to all mankind, whose days have been many upon 
the earth; yet lengthen out his span of mortal life, we pray 
thee, and grant unto him all the powers and gifts, in their com- 
pleteness, of the office thou hast conferred upon him; and in 
like manner bless his associates in the Presidency of thy Church. 

"Confer upon thy servants, the Twelve Apostles, a rich 
endowment of thy Spirit. Under their guidance may the Gospel 
of the kingdom go forth into all the world, to be preached to all 
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that the honest in heart 
in every land may hear the glad tidings of joy and salvation. 
Overrule, we pray thee, in the midst of the governments of the 
earth, that the barriers that now stand in the way of the spread 
of thy truths may be removed, and liberty of conscience be 
accorded to all peoples. 

"Remember in loving kindness thy servants, the Patriarchs. 
May they be full of blessings for thy people Israel. May 
they bear with them the seeds of comfort and consolation, of 
encouragement and blessing. Fill them with the Holy Spirit of 
promise, and be graciously pleased to fulfil their words of 
prophecy, that thy name may be extolled by the people of thy 
Church and their faith in thee and in the promises of thy min- 
istering servants be increasingly strengthened. 

"With thy servants of the Twelve bless their associates, the 
Seventies; may they be powerful in the preaching of thy word 
and in bearing it to the four quarters of the earth. May an 
ever-widening way be opened before them until they shall have 
raised the Gospel standard in every land and proclaimed its 
saving truths in every tongue, that all the islands and the con- 
tinents may rejoice in the testimony of the great work thou 
art in these latter days performing on the earth. 

"Bless abundantly, O Lord, the High Priests in all the varied 
duties and positions to which thou hast called them. As stand- 
ing ministers of thy word in the multiplying Stakes of Zion wilt 
thou endow them richly with the spirit of their exalted callings. 
As Presidents, Counselors, Bishops, members of High Councils, 
and in every other office which their Priesthood gives them the 
right to fill, may they be righteous ministers of thy holy law, 
loving fathers of the people, and as judges in the midst of the 
Saints may they deal out just and impartial judgment tem.pered 
with mercy and love. 

"So also, in their various callings, confer precious gifts of 
wisdom, faith and knowledge upon thy servants, the Elders, 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



167 



Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, that all may diligenth^ perform 
their part in the glorious labors thou hast called thy Priesthood 
to bear. 

''Forget not, we beseech thee, thy servants the missionaries, 
who are proclaiming the saving truths that thou hast revealed 
for man's redemption to the millions who are now overshadowed 
by deep spiritual darkness. Preserve them from all evil, deliver 
them from mob violence, may they want no good thing, but be 
greatly blessed with the gifts and powers of their ministry. 
Remember also their families, that they may be sustained and 
comforted by thee and be cherished and cared for by thy Saints. 

"We pray thee for the members of thy Holy Church through- 
out all the world, that thy people may be so guided and gov- 
erned of thee, that all who profess to be and call themselves 
Saints may be preserved in the unitj^ of the faith, in the way of 
truth, in the bonds of peace, and in holiness of life. Strengthen 
the weak, we pray thee, and impart thy Spirit unto all. 

"Our Father, mav peace abide in all the homes of thy Saints; 
may hoh^ angels guard them: may they be encompassed b}" thine 
arms of love; may prosperity shine upon them, and may the 
tempter and the destroj^er be removed far from them. 'Ms.y the 
days of thy covenant people be lengthened out in righteousness, 
and sickness and disease be rebuked fiom their midst. ]\Iay 
the land the}- inhabit be made fruitful b}" thy grace, may its 
waters be increased and the climate be tempered to the comfort 
and need of thy people: may drought, devastating storms, cy- 
clones, and hurricanes be kept afar off. and earthquakes never 
disturb the land which thou hast gi^-en us. 'May locusts, cater- 
pillars and other insects not destroy our gardens and desolate 
our fields; but may we be a people blessed of thee in our bodies 
and spirits, in our homes and habitations, in our flocks and herds, 
in ourselves and our posterity, and in all that thou hast made 
us stewards over. 

"Xow pray we for the youth of Zion — the children of thy ' 
people: endow them riclih" with the spirit of faith and righteous- 
ness and with increasing love for thee and for thy law. Prosper 
all the institutions that thou hast established in our midst for 
their well-being. Give to our Church Schools an ever-increasing 
power for good. May thy Holy Spirit dominate the teachings 
given therein and also control the hearts and illumine the minds 
of the students. Bless marveloush^ thy servants, the General 
Superintendent, and all the principals, teachers and other officers, 
and also those who form the General Board of Education of thy 
Church. Remember likewise in thy loving kindness the Sunday 
Schools, with all who, either as teachers or scholars, belong 
thereto; may the influence of the instruction given therein 
broaden and deepen, to thy glory and the salvation of thy chil- 
dren, until the perfect day. Bless the members of the G'eneral 



168 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union with the wisdom 
necessary for the proper fulfilment of their duties, and for the 
accomplishment of the purposes for which this Board was 
created. 

"We also uphold before thee the Young Men's and Young 
Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, with all their officers, 
general and local, and the members. May they be prospered of 
thee, their membership be enlarged, and the good that they 
accomplish increase with every succeeding year. For the Pri- 
maries and Religion Classes we also seek thy constant blessing 
and guiding care; may the spirit of instruction be poured out 
upon the presidents and associate officers and teachers. May 
they keep pace with the rest of the educational establishments in 
thy Church; so that from their earliest years our children may 
be diligently brought up in the ways of the Lord, and thy name 
be magnified in their growth in virtue and intelligence. 

"Nor would we forget, O Lord, the normal training classes 
among the people, whether these classes be connected with the 
Church Schools, the Improvement Associations, or the Sunday 
Schools. Grant that these classes may be the means of spreading 
true education throughout all the borders of the Saints by the 
creation of a body of teachers who will not only be possessed of 
rare intelligence but be filled also with the spirit of the Gospel, 
and be powerful in the testimony of thy truth and in implanting 
a love for thee and for thy works in the hearts of all whom they 
instruct. 

"We would hold up before thee, O Lord, the Relief Societies, 
with all their members; and all those who preside in their midst 
according to their callings and appointments, general or local. 
Bless the Teachers in their labors of mercy and charity, who, as 
ministering angels, visit the homes of the sick and the needy, 
bearing succor, consolation and comfort to the unfortunate and 
sorrowful. And bless, we beseech thee, most merciful Father, 
the poor of thy people, that the cry of want and suffering may 
not ascend unto thee from the midst of thy Saints whom thou 
hast blessed so abundantly with the comforts of this world. 
Open up new avenues by which the needy can obtain a liveli- 
hood by honest industry, and also incline the hearts of those 
blessed more abundantly, to give generously of their substance 
to their, in this respect, less favored brethren and sisters, that 
thou mayest not have reason to chide us for the neglect of even 
the least among thy covenant children. 

"O God of Israel, turn thy face, we pray thee, in loving kind- 
ness toward thy stricken people of the house of Judah. Oh, 
deliver them from those that oppress them. Heal up their 
wounds, comfort their hearts, strengthen their feet, and give 
them ministers after thine own heart who shall lead them as of 
old, in thy way. May the days of their tribulation soon cease, 
and they be planted by thee in the valleys and plains of their 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



169 



ancient home; and may Jerusalem rejoice and Judea be glad for 
the multitude of her sons and daughters, for the sweet voices of 
children in her streets, and the rich outpouring of thy saving 
mercies upon them. May Israel no more bow the head, nor bend 
the neck to the oppressor, but may his feet be made strong on 
the everlasting hills, never more, by violence, to be banished 
therefrom, and the praise and the glory shall be thine. 

"Remember in like pity the dwindling remnants of the house 
of Israel, descendants of thy servant Lehi. Restore them, we 
pra}^ thee, to thine ancient favor, fulfil in their completeness the 
promises given to their fathers, and make of them a white and 
delightsome race, a loved and holy people as in former days. 
May the time also be nigh at hand when thou wilt gather the 
dispersed of Israel from the islands of the sea and from every 
land in which thou hast scattered them, and the ten tribes of 
Jacob from their hiding place in the north, and restore them to 
communion and fellowship with their kinsmen of the seed of 
Abraham. 

"We thank thee, O God of Israel, that thou didst raise up 
patriotic men to lay the foundation of this great American gov- 
ernment. Thou didst inspire them to frame a good Constitution 
and laws which guarantee to all of the inhabitants of the land 
equal rights and privileges to worship thee according to the 
dictates of their own consciences. Bless the officers, both judicial 
and executive. Confer abundant favors upon the President, his 
Cabinet, and Congress. Enlightened and guided by thy Spirit 
may they maintain and uphold the glorious principles of human 
liberty. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to thee, our Father 
in heaven, for thy kindness unto us in softening the hearts of 
our fellow citizens, the people of this nation, towards us. That 
which thou hast done has been marvelous in our eyes. We thank 
thee that thou didst move upon the heart of the President of our 
nation to issue a general amnesty; that thou hast removed preju- 
dice and misunderstanding from the minds of many of the people 
concerning us and our purposes, and they are disposed to treat 
us as fellow citizens, and not as enemies. In this holy house we 
feel to give thee glory therefor, and we humbly ask thee to 
increase this feeling in their hearts. Enable them to see us in 
our true light. Show unto them that we are their friends, that 
we love liberty, that we will join with them in upholding the 
rights of the people, the Constitution and laws of our country; 
and give unto us and our children an increased disposition to 
always be loyal, and to do everything in our power to maintain 
constitutional rights and the freedom of all within the confines 
of this great Republic. 

"Remember in mercy, O Lord, the kings, the princes, the 
nobles, the rulers and governors, and the great ones of the earth, 
and likewise all the poor, the afflicted and the oppressed, and 
indeed, all people, that their hearts may be softened when thy 



170 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



seryants go forth to bear testimony of thy name, that their 
prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people find 
favor in their eyes. So control the affairs of the nations of the 
earth, that the way may be prepared for the ushering in of a 
reign of righteousness and truth. We desire to see liberty spread 
throughout the earth, to see oppression cease, the yoke of the 
tyrant broken, and every despotic form of government over- 
thrown by which thy children are degraded and crushed, and 
prevented from enjoying their share of the blessings of the 
earth, which thou hast created for their habitation. 

God, the Eternal Father, thou knowest all things. Thou 
seest the course thy people have been led to take in political 
matters. They have, in many instances, joined the two great 
national parties. Campaigns have been entered upon, elections 
have been held, and much party feeling has been engendered. 
Many things have been said and done which have wounded the 
feelings of the humble and the meek, and which have been a 
cause of offense. We beseech thee, in thine infinite mercy and 
goodness, to forgive thy people wherein they have sinned in this 
direction. Show them, O Father, their faults and their errors, 
that they may see the same in the light of thy Holy Spirit, and 
repent truly and sincerely, and cultivate that spirit of affection 
and love which thou art desirous that all the children of men 
should entertain one for another, and which thy Saints, above all 
others, should cherish. Enable thy people hereafter to avoid 
bitterness and strife, and to refrain from words and acts in 
political discussions that shall create feeling and grieve thy Holy 
Spirit. 

"Heavenly Father, when thy people shall not have the oppor- 
tunity of entering this holy house to offer their supplications 
unto thee, and they are oppressed and in trouble, surrounded by 
difficulties or assailed by temptation, and shall turn their faces 
tov/ards this thy holy house and ask thee for deliverance, for 
help, for thy power to be extended in their behalf, we beseech 
thee to look down from thy holy habitation in mercy and tender 
compassion upon them, and listen to their cries. Or when the 
children of thy people, in years to come, shall be separated, 
through any cause, from this place, and their hearts shall turn 
in remembrance of thy promises to this holy Temple, and they 
shall cry unto thee from the depths of their affliction and sorrow 
to extend relief and deliverance to them, we humbly entreat thee 
to turn thine ear in mercy to them; hearken to their cries, and 
grant unto them the blessings for which they ask. 

"Almighty Father, increase within us the powers of that faith 
delivered to and possessed by thy Saints. Strengthen us by the 
memories of the glorious deliverances of the past, by the remem- 
brance of the sacred covenants that thou hast made with us, so 
that, when evil overshadows us, when trouble encompasses us, 
when we pass through the valley of humiliation, we may not 



THE GREAT TEMPLE HISTORICAL 



171 



falter, may not doubt, but in the strength of thy holy name may 
accomplish all thy righteous purposes with regard to us, fill the 
measure of our creation, and triumph gloriously, by thy grace, 
over every besetting sin, be redeemed from every evil, and be 
numbered in the kingdom of heaven amongst those who shall 
dwell in thy presence forever. 

"And now, our Father, we bless thee, we praise thee, we 
glorify thee, we worship thee, day by day we magnify thee, and 
give thee thanks for thy great goodness towards us, thy children, 
and we pray thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, our 
Savior, to hear these our humble petitions, and answer us from 
heaven, thy holy dwelling place, where thou sittest enthroned 
in glory, might, majesty, and dominion, and with an infinitude of 
power which we, thy mortal creatures, cannot imagine, much less 
comprehend. Amen and Amen." 

All who attended the dedicatory senaces on the morn- 
ing of the 6th of April, 1893, remember the impressive- 
ness of the day. The sky was overcast and lowering, and 
shortly before the hour of beginning, a strong wind set in 
from the north-west. This wind increased to a veritable 
hurricane and throughout the morning session it seemed 
indeed, that the prince of the air was in full control ; but 
the peace and serenity of the assembly was rendered the 
more impressive by contrast with the turmoil and storm 
without. 

A large pipe-organ had been set up in the assembly 
room, and served as an accompaniment to the choir of 
selected voices, by whom the anthems and hymns, spe- 
cially composed for the occasion, were rendered. The 
essential and characteristic feature of the service was, of 
course, the offering of the dedicatory prayer ; and to this 
were added brief addresses by officials of the Church. At 
the first session, each of the First Presidency delivered 
an address, replete with promise and prophecy. Through- 
out the service, ran the solemn refrain, which was voiced 
in anthem, sermon, and prayer: 

"The House of the Lord is completed/' 



CHAPTER VII 



THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY EXTERIOR 

Before us stands the completed structure, the visible 
result of four decades of devoted toil, — a period marked 
in the beginning by poverty and penury followed by rela- 
tive prosperity and plenty. The impression produced by 
a first view of the exterior is that of massiveness coupled 
with a sense of assured stability. Closer examination and 
more intimate acquaintance serve to intensify this early 
impression, while revealing numerous details of unique- 
ness in plan and of excellence in construction. As to 
architectural design the Temple belongs to a class of its 
owm. Originality rather than novelty characterizes every 
prominent feature. And yet there is nothing apparent 
that speaks of strained effect nor of conscious effort for 
departure fromi more conventional lines. The Temple is 
no oddity in architecture ; on the contrary it is strictly in 
place both as to material environment and spiritual atmos- 
phere. 

The building is of composite style, presenting fea- 
tures of both the Gothic and the Roman. By architects 
of experience it has been described as a modification of 
the Round Gothic, while others have called it Roman- 
esque, in that it follows in part the castellated style so 
highly developed in England. But, even if this descrip- 
tion be true as to the exterior, it is wholly inapplicable 
within. There are no high-vaulted Gothic ceilings, nor 
massive beams after the style Romanesque; on the con- 



THE GREAT TEMPLE^ — EXTERIOR 



173 



trary the interior partakes rather of the nature of Ren- 
aissance design.^ 

The Temple was constructed for specific use; it was 
intended for service widely different from that of cathe- 
dral, tabernacle, mosque, or synagogue ; and the building 
was planned and patterned to suit its distinctive purpose. 
Such was and is the reason for its being, the explanation 
of its design, both vindication and justification of its 
plan. 

As has been shown, the plans of the building were 
made known, and a fairly detailed description thereof 
was published in 1854.^ A careful examination of the 
structure as it now appears shows that in every essential 
particular the original plan of the exterior has been fol- 
lowed almost to exactness. Details of spires, turrets, 
and finials, had not been determined when the design 
was first announced ; and in these as in certain other 
particulars the original plan has been added to; but no 
essential alteration has been introduced. 

As it stands, the building is one hundred eighty-six 
feet six inches long, and one hundred eighteen feet six 
inches wide including ground-level extensions of the 
corner towers, or ninety-nine feet wide in the main body. 
The side walls are one hundred sixty-seven feet six inches 
high ; the west center tower has a height of two hundred 

« Joseph D. C. Young, the architect-in-charge during the later 
period of construction, wrote as follows in answer to an inquiry 
of the author in January, 1912: "Questions as to the style of 
architecture embodied in the great Temple have been asked 
time and time again. Some prominent architects have classed it 
as Round Gothic; others have said that it is practically unclassi- 
fiable, it being 'all material and not at all design.' In my judg- 
ment it might be called the Romanesque modified by tiie Castel- 
lated style." 

^ See pages 144-147. 



174 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and four feet, and the corresponding tower at the east 
rises six feet higher. The entire area covered by the 
building is twenty-one thousand eight hundred and fifty 
square feet. 

The walls are set upon a massive footing, which 
extends sixteen feet below ground, is sixteen feet wide at 
the base, and narrows to nine feet at the top. From the 
ground-level to the globes surmounting the spires the 
walls are of granite, every block accurately cut as to 
dimension and pattern, and fitted with equal nicety out- 
side and inside. The windows, both arched and oval, all 
deeply set in their granite recesses, are framed with 
oolite. Throughout the first story the walls are eight feet 
thick; in the upper structure the thickness is reduced by 
stages to a minimum of six feet. The buttresses are uni- 
formly one foot thicker than the walls proper. 

The building consists of three towers at each end- 
east and west, and between these extends the main body, 
suggesting, to the observer at a distance, a vast interme- 
diate nave. In ground-plan the Temple is strikingly 
symmetrical, each of the central axes being an axis of 
symmetry. The westerly half is a repetition of the east- 
erly, and the southerly half duplicates the northerly. 
Lines running north and south through the centre of the 
three towers at either end are also lines of symmetry, di- 
viding the towers into corresponding parts. 

Repetition of parts appears also in vertical section. 
Thus, above the first belt or string course, that is to say, 
immediately above the basement or first floor, is the sec- 
ond story, indicated without by a series of high arched 
windows between the buttresses ; above these is a series 
of elliptical or oval windows. The belt course immedi- 



THE GREAT TEMPLE EXTERIOR 



175 



ately above these oval openings marks the centre of con- 
struction as seen in the vertical section of the main body. 
The upper half, up to the level of the top belt-course, is 
in general a repetition of the lower. The roof has so little 
pitch as to be practically flat, there being a rise of but 
eight feet from edge to centre. Between the end towers, 
that is to say in the m.ain body of the building, the walls 
carry nine buttresses or pilasters on both north and 
south sides. Each of these pilasters rises above the para- 
pets and battlement walls, and is capped by a granite 
block three and a half feet square at its base and two 
and a half feet high. Of these pilaster caps, four on 
either wall are open and constitute the tops of ventilator 
shafts which extend to the basement. 

Above the roof level rise the upper sections of the 
towers with their spires and finials. Octagonal turrets 
occupy the corners of the towers, and each turret is sur- 
mounted by a pyramidal monolith, six feet high and three 
feet in diameter at the base; the apex of this pyramid is 
cut to represent an acanthus cluster. Each of the six 
towers is surmounted by a pyramidal spire, which ter- 
minates in a spherical capstone. The cut blocks forming 
the spires are two feet in thickness; the capstones of the 
four corner towers are three feet in diameter, while those 
of the two center towers measure eight inches more. 

The spherical termination of the east center tower, 
which is the highest stone in the building, and therefore 
the capstone proper, supports a statue, the crown of which 
marks the point of greatest altitude in the entire structure. 
The figure, which stands twelve and a half feet high, is 
that of a man in the character of a herald or messenger, 
blowing a trumpet. In pose and proportion the figure is 



176 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



graceful and gentle, yet virile and strong; the drapings 
are simple, and leave only feet, arms, neck, and head bare. 
Around the head is a slender circlet supporting high- 
power incandescent lamps. The statue is of hammered 
copper thickly overlaid with gold-leaf. It is the work of 
C. E. Dallin, Utah-born, and now of more than national 
fame as a sculptor. The figure is intended to represent 
Moroni, the Nephite prophet, who died about 421 A. D., 
and who, as a resurrected being, came in 1823 to the boy- 
prophet Joseph Smith, and delivered to him the message 
of the restored Gospel, in accordance with the prediction 
of the ancient Seer: 

. ''And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, 
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that 
dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and 
give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: 
and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 
and the fountains of waters,"'^ 

As has been described in connection with the cere- 
monies of the capstone-laying, April 6, 1892, the stone 
upon which rests the statue is one of the record stones 
of the Temple."^ Another record stone is to be noted. 
This lies at the south-east corner of the building imme- 
diately beneath the first layer of granite. It is a quartzite 
block three feet in length and twenty inches in both width 
and depth. A cavity one square foot in cross-section 
holds printed books, periodicals, and manuscript records, 
which were placed therein at the time of laying the first 
granite course. A slab of quartzite closes the cavity and 



cRev. 14:6,7. 

d See pages 151-152. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE EXTERIOR 177 

is cemented in place with due provision against the 
entrance of moisture. 

There are in the walls several series of stones of 
emblematical design and significance, such as those repre- 
senting the earth, moon, sun, and stars, and in addition 
are cloud stones, and stones bearing inscriptions. 

The earth-stones are thirty-four in number, eleven on 
each side and six on each end of the building. They 
are set on the pedestal course, or first granite course, 
extending twenty-eight inches above ground. There is 
one of these stones in each buttress, excepting only the 
buttresses at the junction of the towers with the main 
body. These earth-stones constitute the largest cuboidal 
blocks in the building; each of them measures five feet 
six inches in height, four feet six inches in width, and 
one foot eight inches in thickness, and weighs little less 
than three and one-half tons. Each of these massive 
blocks is cut to show part of the surface of a sphere, the 
segment having a diameter of over three feet. 

Blocks cut to represent the moon in its several phases, 
and known as moon-stones, occupy conspicuous places in 
the buttresses immediately below the second string-course 
or water-table ; they are therefore on a level with the top 
of the first or lower line of oval windows corresponding 
to the ceiling of the Mezzanine story. There are fifty 
such moon-stones ; each four feet seven inches high, three 
feet six inches wide, and one foot thick. 

Sun-stones are set in the buttresses directly under the 
third belt-course or water-table, which is practically the 
level of the roof. There are fifty of these, each cut to 
represent the body of the sun, with a serrated edge of 
fifty-two points illustrative of the sun's rays. These 

13 



178 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Stones are each four feet seven inches high, three feet six 
inches wide, and ten inches thick. 

Star-stones are numerous; each bears in rehef the 
figure of a five-pointed star. On the east center-tower 
immediately below the battlements are sixteen of these, 
four on each face ; and on each of the east corner-towers 
are twelve such stones, making forty on these towers 
alone. The keystones of the doorways and those of the 
window arches belong to this class, each bearing a single 
star. 

Star-stones of another kind appear on the face of the 
center tower at the west. Here, above the highest window 
and extending to the base of the battlement course, are 
seen the seven stars of the northern constellation Ursa 
Major or Great Bear, otherwise known as the Dipper. 
The group is so placed that the two stars called pointers 
are practically in line with the North Star itself. 

Cloud-stones, two in number, are seen on the upper 
face of the east center tower, immediately under the cap- 
pings of the main buttresses. These show a cluster of 
cumulus clouds through which the sun's rays are break- 
ing. The face so carved is five feet by three and a half 
feet in area. 

Reference has been made to inscription-stones which 
form part of the exterior walls. The principal stone of 
this class is seen on the east centre tower, above the win- 
dows, corresponding in position to the starry constellation 
on the center tower at the west. The main inscription, 
which occupies a surface a little over twenty by six feet, 
consists of letters deeply cut and heavily gilded.^ In the 
arches over the great windows of the central towers 



See page 136. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE EXTERIOR 



179 



appear inscriptions which are ahke at both ends of the 
building. The keystone of the lower window bears on 
a carven scroll ^7 am Alpha and Omega." f This inscrip- 
tion, a figurative epitome of both time and eternity, and 
a proclamation of Him who is without beginning and 
without end, has a peculiar appropriateness over the cen- 
tral casements of this, the House of the Lord; and he 
who pauses to read may well consider the text and its 
context in full : "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, 
and which is to come, the Almighty."^ 

Immediately beneath this inscription in the lower win- 
dow arch of the centre tower appears in relief the em- 
blem of the clasped hands, betokening the bond of brother- 
hood and the free offering of the right hand of fellow- 
ship. On the corresponding stones above the upper win- 
dows in each of the center towers is the carven emblem 
of the All-seeing Eye. 

Entrance to the Temple directly from without is 
afforded by four great doorways, two at either end ; each 
of these portals occupies a court between the center 
tower and the adjoining corner tower. The four door- 
ways are of like construction. A flight of sixteen granite 
steps leads up the court; the lowest of these steps is ap- 
proximately sixteen feet in length, the top step about 
nine feet, and each of the steps between about ten feet 
I long. On the uppermost granite slab rests the threshold 
' or door-step proper, which is of cast bronze. The door- 
way is eight feet wide, and sixteen feet six inches in 
extreme height. This is closed by double doors with 

/See Rev. 1:8, il; 21:6; 22:13. 
gRev. 1:8. 



i 



180 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



arched transom. The doors proper are twelve feet high, 
and each single door is four feet wide. In each door 
the bottom panel is of oak, while the middle and upper 
panels are occupied by beveled plate glass protected by 
bronze grills of intricate pattern carrying a bee-hive 
medallion in the center. The hardware attachments are 
all of cast bronze, and are of special design. The door- 
knob bears in relief the bee-hive, above which, in a curved 
line, appear the words, ''Holiness to the Lord." The 
escutcheon presents in relief the clasped hands within a 
wreath of olive twigs, an arch with keystone, and the 
dates "1853-1893" — the years in which the great building 
was commenced and completed. 

On the side of each of the doorways flanking the 
center tower is a canopied niche in the granite, large 
enough to receive a statue of heroic proportions.^ 

Such is the great Temple as seen from without. The 
massive pile impresses even the casual observer as a type 
of permanency, and the embodiment of the stable and the 
durable. It stands as an isolated mass of the everlasting 
hills. As nearly as any work of man may so do, it sug- 
gests duration. 



^ For a number of years the niches at the east end of the 
Temple were occupied by bronze figures of Joseph Smith the 
prophet and Hyrum Smith the patriarch. These figures have 
since been removed to the open grounds within the Temple 
Block enclosure. 



CHAPTER VIIL 



THE GREAT TEMPLE AT SALT LAKE CITY INTERIOR 

The Temple Annex: While there are four doorways 
leading into the Temple directly from the outside, the 
usual entrance is through the detached building known as 
the Annex. Under ordinary conditions only Church au- 
thorities who assemble in council meetings enter by the 
outer doors, though on the rare occasions of special con- 
vocations of the Priesthood many pass those portals. 

The Annex is entered on the ground-level through a 
spacious vestibule, eighteen by twenty-one feet, with 
wave-glass on three of its sides. The floor is of mosaic 
tiling, bordered with marble blocks. This ante-room is 
supplied with steam heat and serves the incidental pur- 
poses of a cloak room. At the Annex door stand two 
large columns of marble mosaic, and in contact with the 
adjoining walls are two other columns, of the same ma- 
terial and of corresponding design. Within the Annex 
on this floor there are well-equipped oflice rooms, with 
desk facilities for the extensive routine work of registra- 
tion and record. 

The main apartment, however, is the Annex Assembly 
Room. This occupies the central part of the building, 
and has seating capacity for three hundred persons. The 
room consists of a central area thirty-six feet square, with 
a semi-circular alcove of nine feet radius at both north 
and south sides. The north alcove is occupied by a plat- 
form or stand, raised ten inches above the floor, and 



182 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



is furnished with a small lectern. The central body 
of the room has an imposing column of Corinthian 
design in each of its four corners; these columns rest 
upon massive pedestals and extend to the ceiling. Small 
columns of similar design support the arches which divide 
the alcoves from the main auditorium. Over the arches 
at the north end appear portraits of the living First Pres- 
idency; and around the walls are portraits of the present 
Council of the Twelve Apostles, arranged in the order 
of seniority of ordination. Within the alcoves hang the 
portraits of the dead, — at the north those of past members 
of the First Presidency, and in the south recess, those of 
Apostles now deceased. On the west wall is a full-size 
reproduction of Munkacsy's famous canvas, "Christ be- 
fore Pilate;" this copy is the work of Dan Weggeland, 
one of Utah's veteran artists. The ceiling is formed by 
the intersection of four arches, producing a quadruple 
groin structure. Each of the four lunettes is occupied 
by triple series of arched windows consisting of colored 
glass in simple design. 

On the west side of the building is a small refectory 
where a noon-day lunch is served to recorders and other 
officials on duty for the day. A stairway leads to the 
basement, which is occupied by storage rooms and lava- 
tories. 

The Annex Passage: The foot of the stairway marks 
the beginning of a semi-subterranean passage, which 
runs south ninety feet to the Temple wall. This passage 
receives air and natural light through side windows in 
three large ventilator cupolas which rise six feet above 
the ground. Artificial illumination is supplied by three 
electroliers, each holding twelve globes. Near the south 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



183 



end is the entrance to a side corridor leading to machine 
rooms in which is installed a very efficient apparatus for 
vacuum cleaning; this is connected with every room in 
the Temple."^ The passage terminates at the foot of a 
short flight of granite steps — at the centre of the north 
wall of the main structure. The top of these steps marks 
the threshold of the Temple. Heavy doors divide the 
Annex from the Temple. 

The Lozver Corridor: The doorway from the annex 
passage opens directly into the lower corridor of the 
Temple. This extends entirely across the building, from 
north to south, and is a little over twelve feet in width. 
The floor is richly carpeted, the walls are finely finished, 
and the corridor as a whole presents an imposing contrast 
with the exceedingly plain passage without. The walls 
are embellished with large paintings, the chief of which is 
a canvas fifteen by thirteen feet, showing Joseph Smith 
preaching to the Indian tribes of the east. At the north 
end is a drinking fountain of Utah onyx — one of many 
of this unique design distributed throughout the build- 
ing. 

The Baptistry: West from the lower corridor, and 
occupying the central third of the entire floor on that 
side, is the baptismal room, in which stands the great 
font. This apartment is thirty-two by forty-five feet, 
and is floored with white marble. A ten-inch wainscot 
of the same material extends along each wall, with 
grained wood-work above. The walls are virtually a suc- 

a Prior to 1911 the Temple was supplied with heat and light 
from its own boilers and dynamos; and during that period elec- 
tric generators were operated in these rooms. Steam and elec- 
tricity are now furnished from a central plant situated immedi- 
ately west of the Temple Block. See chapter IX. 



184 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



cession of double doors, of which the lower half is of 
paneled wood, and the upper of pebbled glass. Each 
doorway is arched, and carries a large semi-circular tran- 
som with a central aperture occupied by an open grill of 
metal. Of these doors there are six pairs on both north 
and south sides, and two pairs on both east and west. 
There are twenty-six fluted pilasters around the walls, 
each extending from floor to ceiling. The only natural 
light the room receives is borrowed from windows with- 
out; but abundant artificial light is supplied by a large 
central electrolier and numerous side lamps. 

The baptismal font is, of course, the most promi- 
nent feature of the room. To provide for the font, a 
depression or well has been excavated to a depth of three 
feet below the floor level. This well, tiled with marble, 
is circular, twenty-one feet in diameter, and is sur- 
rounded by an ornamental iron railing two feet high. 
In this depression stand twelve, life-sixed oxen, of cast 
iron, with bronzed bodies and silvered horns. The 
oxen face outward in groups of three and support the 
massive font.^ The font is of cast iron enameled in white, 
elliptical in form, of ten and six feet in its longer and 
shorter axes respectively, and four feet deep ; its capacity 
is over four hundred gallons. The rim is reached by a 
flight of seven steps at either end, with balustrade and 
top-rail of iron ; five inside steps at either end provide for 
descent into the font. Facilities for quickly replenishing 
and renewing hot and cold water in the font are adequate 
and eflicient, and due attention has been given to ventila- 
tion and sanitary requirements throughout. 



^ Compare with the "molten sea" in the Temple of Solomon, 
I Kings 7:23-26; II Chron. 4:3-5. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



185 



The landing at the top of the steps on the west end 
of the font expands into two small platforms, one at 
either side; these are enclosed by extensions of the bal- 
ustrades. On the south side is a small table for the use 
of the recorder, and on the north are seats for the wit- 
nesses w^hose presence is essential at every baptism per- 
formed in behalf of the dead/ 

The placing of the baptistry on the lower or base- 
ment floor was not a matter of mere convenience. Most 
of the baptisms performed within the Temple are in be- 
half of the dead, and the symbolism of the font location 
is set forth by authority : 

'The baptismal font was instituted as a simile of the 
grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath 
v/here the living are wont to assemble, to show forth the 
living and the dead."'^ 

On the north side of the baptistry is a large room 
divided into a number of apartments used as dressing 
rooms and in which are performed certain ordinances of 
anointing, for men. A similar arrangement for women 
exists on the south side. In these ceremonies only women 
administer to women, and men to men. 

The Lower Lecture Room : On the east of the lower 
corridor are two assembly rooms. The first of these is 
about forty by forty-five feet, and is finished and fur- 
nished in great plainness. Its walls are without orna- 
ment; and, except for the six electroliers, the only ap- 
proach to decorative embellishment is a drinking fountain 
of variegated marble and onyx on the south side. The 

^ See Doctrine and Covenants, section 128. 
^Doctrine and Covenants, 128:13. 



186 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



room is comfortably carpeted but in marked simplicity, — 
without a suggestion of bright color. The seats are 
folding lecture chairs, of plain design, and provision is 
made for two hundred and fifty persons. This room is 
used for preliminary instruction purposes, and may be 
called for convenience the Lower Lecture Room. 

The Garden Room: In striking contrast with the 
room last described is the apartment on the south, entered 
from the lecture room by an arched doorway hung with 
portieres. While of about the same size as the room 
described, and seated to accommodate the same number 
of persons, in all its appointments it is of more elaborate 
design. Ceiling and walls are embellished with oil paint- 
ings — the former to represent clouds and sky, with sun 
and moon and stars ; the latter showing landscape scenes 
of rare beauty. There are sylvan grottoes and mossy 
dells, lakelets and brooks, waterfalls and rivulets, trees, 
vines and flowers, insects, birds and beasts, in short, the 
earth beautiful, — as it was before the Fall. It may be 
called the Garden of Eden Room, for in every part and 
appurtenance it speaks of sweet content and blessed re- 
pose. There is no suggestion of disturbance, enmity or 
hostility; the beasts are at peace and the birds live in 
amity. In the centre of the south wall, is a platform 
and an altar of prayer, reached by three steps. The altar 
is upholstered in velvet, and on it rests the Holy Bible. 
On the sides of the altar are large doorways opening 
directly into a conservatory of living plants. 

The Grand Stairzvay starts near the south end of the 
lower corridor already described. It is provided with a 
stately newel post and a massive balustrade, both of solid 
cherry. This stairway comprises thirty-five steps with 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



187 



three landings, and at its top is the upper corridor, run- 
ning forty feet north and south. A large canvas depict- 
ing the resurrected Christ instructing the Nephites on 
the western continent occupies twenty feet of wall space 
on the east of this corridor; and smaller paintings adorn 
the other walls. 

The World Room: Leading off to the west from the 
first landing below the top of the grand stairway is a side 
corridor nine feet wide and fifteen feet long. This con- 
tains an art window in rich colors, elliptical in form, about 
ten feet in height, depicting the expulsion from Eden. 
It is of special significance in the journey from the Garden 
Room below to the sym.bolical apartment into which this 
side passage leads. At either end the corridor termi- 
nates in an arch way; between these the ceiling is of fine 
panel work. The room is of equal size with those below, 
forty-five by forty feet. It is carpeted in rich brown, and 
is seated in the usual way. At the west end is an up- 
holstered prayer altar, on which are placed in readiness 
for use the Holy Scriptures. Xear the altar is a stair- 
way leading to a small waiting room adjoining the ele- 
vator landing. 

The walls are entirely covered with scenic paintings 
and the ceiling is pictured to represent sky and cloud. 
The earth scenes are in strong contrast with those in the 
Garden Room below. Here the rocks are rent and riven ; 
the earth-story is that of mountain uplift and seismic dis- 
ruption. Beasts are contending in deadly strife, or en- 
gaged in murderous attack, or already rending their 
prey. The more timorous creatures are fleeing from 
their ravenous foes or cowering in half-concealed retreats. 
There are lions in combat, a tiger gloating over a fallen 



188 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



deer, wolves and foxes in hungry search. Birds of prey 
are slaying or being slain. On the summit of a rugged 
cliff is an eagle's eyrie, the mother and her brood watch- 
ing the approach of the male bird holding a lambkin in 
his claws. All the forest folk and the wild things of the 
mountain are living under the ever-present menace of 
death, and it is by death they live. The trees are gnarled, 
misshapen, and blasted; shrubs maintain a precarious 
root-hold in rocky clefts; thorns, thistles, cacti, and 
noxious weeds abound; and in one quarter a destructive 
storm is raging. 

The scenes are typical of the world's condition under 
the curse of God. Nevertheless there is a certain weird 
attractiveness in the scenes and in their suggestiveness. 
The story is that of struggle and strife ; of victory and tri- 
umph or of defeat and death. From Eden man has been 
driven out to meet contention, to struggle with diffi- 
culties, to live by strife and sweat. This chamber may 
well be known as the room of the fallen world, or more 
briefly, the World Room. 

The Terrestrial Room: From the north-west corner 
of the room last described is a large door-way leading 
into another apartment, lofty, spacious, and beautiful. 
Its general effect is that of combined richness and sim- 
plicity. Following the elaborate decoration of the World 
Room, this is restful in its soft coloring and air of com- 
fort. The carpet is of lavender velvet woven with sim- 
ple figures. The walls are of pale blue, the ceiling and 
woodwork of white with trimmings in gold. At the west 
end is a large mirror framed in white and gold. The 
chairs are upholstered to harmonize with the floor-cover- 
ing. From the paneled ceiling hang three electroliers, 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



189 



massive, yet simple, holding opaline globes. Two sets of 
conical shades enclosing incandescent bulbs occupy circu- 
lar recesses in the ceiling, and torch-shaped brackets sup- 
porting additional lamps are affixed to the wall pilasters. 
A few framed canvases hang from, the walls, the largest 
of which is the original painting by Girard — Joseph 
interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker. Other 
pictures are dehneations of incidents in the life of Christ 
and scenes in Bible lands. 

An upholstered altar stands near the east end of the 
room, with copies of sacred writ in place. In this room, 
lectures are given pertaining to the endowments and 
emphasizing the practical duties of a religious life. It is 
therefore commonly known as the upper lecture room, 
but in view of its relation to the room that follows, we 
may for convenience designate it the Terrestrial Room. 
At the east end is a raised floor reached by three steps, 
across which springs an arch of thirty feet span. The 
arch is supported by five columns between which hangs 
a silken portiere in four sections. This is the Veil of 
the Temple. 

The Celestial Room: From the room last described 
to the one now under consideration the passage leads 
through the Veil. This is a large and lofty apartment 
about sixty by forty-five feet in area and thirty-four feet 
in height, occupying the northeast section of the building 
on this floor. In finish and furnishings it is the grand- 
est of all the large rooms within the walls. If the last 
room described could be considered typical of the terres- 
trial state, this is suggestiAX of conditions yet more 
exalted : and it may appropriately be called the Celestial 
Room. The west end is occupied wholly by the Veil. 



190 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



The east wall is in part taken up by two triple mirrors, 
thirteen feet high ; the central section of each is three feet 
eight inches wide, and the side sections each three feet in 
width. Along the walls are twenty-two columns in pairs, 
with Corinthian caps ; these support entablatures from 
which spring ten arches, four on either side and one at 
each end. Within the recesses formed by these arches 
and suspended from the wall-columns, are paintings and 
busts of past and living leaders of the Church, and can- 
vases depicting scenes in Bible lands and incidents of 
interest in Church history. Prominent among these are 
paintings by Lambourne, showing the Hill Cumorah^ 
and Adam-ondi-Ahman.^ Choice canvases illustrative of 
scenes in the life of Christ and small statuary are disposed 
with excellent effect about the room. The ceiling is a 
combination of vault and panel construction elaborately 
finished. Massive cornices and beams separating the ceil- 
ing panels are richly embellished with clusters of fruit 
and flowers. The color scheme of the walls is soft brown 
relieved by the light blue of the fluted columns and by 
abundant trimmings in gold. Eight electroliers with 
shades of richly finished glass depend from the ceiling, 
and each of the twenty-two columns holds a bracket of 
lights in corresponding design. A newel-post at the east 
bears a flower-cluster of colored globes with an artistic 
support in bronze. The floor is covered by a heavy carpet 
and the movable furniture is all of rich yet appropriate 
design. Palms and other living plants are held in shapely 
jardinieres of finest ware. At the east is a short flight of 



•^See "The Articles of Faith," XIV:l-3. 
/See Doctrine and Covenants, section 116. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



191 



stairs leading into an office room reserved for the presi- 
dent of the Temple. 

Each of the four arched-window recesses in the north 
is framed by draped curtains of silk, which in material and 
design match the Veil. On the south side are four pairs 
of double doors in position and size symmetrically corre- 
sponding with the windows on the north. The portal at 
the south-west, which is fitted with swinging doors, opens 
directly into the upper corridor at the head of the grand 
stairway already described; each of the three other por- 
tals is fitted with sliding doors, and opens into a 
separate apartment slightly raised above the floor of the 
large room, and reserved for special ceremonial work, 
more specifically described beyond. 

Sealing Room for the Dead: The first of these three 
small rooms is about ten by thirteen feet in the square 
with a semi-circular recess five feet deep on the south 
side. This room is raised two steps above the main floor. 
In the wall of this recess is a bay art window of stained 
glass, representing with effective and impressing detail 
the resurrected prophet Moroni delivering the plates of 
the Book of Mormon to the youthful seer, Joseph Smith. 
It is a fitting symbol of the actuality of communication 
between the dead and the living; and it is to ordinances 
pertaining to this relationship the room is devoted; this 
is the Sealing Room for the Dead. The west wall is occu- 
pied by a large mirror. In the center stands a richly 
upholstered altar finished in old-rose velvet and gold. 
The altar is six by three feet six inches at its base and 
two feet six inches in height. Here kneel in humble ser- 
vice the living proxies representing deceased husbands 
and wives, parents and children. The only other furni- 



192 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ture consists of chairs for the officiating elder, the wit- 
nesses, and persons awaiting the ordinances at the altar. 

Sealing Room for the Living: The easterly room of 
the three is in size and shape a counterpart of the last 
described. Its finishing, however, is in brighter tone; 
the altar and chairs are upholstered in crimson velvet, and 
the walls are of light tint. A mirror extends from floor 
to ceiling on the east wall. This is the Sealing Room for 
the Living. Here is solemnized the sacred ordinance of 
marriage between parties who come to plight their vows 
of marital fidelity for time and eternity, and to receive 
the seal of the eternal Priesthood upon their union. Here 
also are performed the ordinances of sealing or adoption 
of living children by their parents who were not at first 
united in the order of celestial marriage.^ On the south 
side of this room is a door with transom and side panels 
of jeweled glass in floral design, leading into a reception 
room which is provided for the accommodation of parties 
awaiting the sealing ordinance. This room connects on 
the west by a short passage with a smaller apartment, — 
another waiting room, and this in turn opens upon the 
upper corridor at the head of the grand stairway. 

The Holy of Holies: The central of the three small 
apartments connected with the Celestial Room, — situated 
therefore between the Sealing Room for the Living and the 
Sealing Room for the Dead, — is of all the smaller apart- 
ments within the Temple walls by far the most beautiful. 
Yet its excellence is that of splendid simplicity rather than 
of sumptuous splendor. It is raised above the other two 
rooms and is reached by an additional flight of six steps 
inside the sliding doors. The short staircase is bordered 



s. See page 105. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



193 



by hand-carved balustrades, which terminate in a pair of 
newel-posts bearing bronze figures symbolical of inno- 
cent childhood; these support flower clusters, each jeweled 
blossom enclosing an electric bulb. On the landing at 
the head of the steps is another archway, beneath which 
are sliding doors ; these doors mark the threshold of 
the inner room or Holy of Holies of the Temple, and 
correspond to the inner curtain or veil that shielded from 
public view the most sacred precincts of Tabernacle and 
Temple in the earlier dispensations. 

The floor is of native hard-wood blocks, each an inch 
in cross-section. The room is of circular outline, eighteen 
feet in diameter, with paneled walls, the panels separated 
by carved pillars supporting arches ; it is decorated in 
blue and gold. The entrance doorway and the panels 
are framed in red velvet with an outer border finished 
in gold. Four wall niches, bordered in crimson and 
gold, have a deep blue background, and within these 
are tall vases holding flowers. The room is practically 
without natural light, but it is brilliantly illumined by 
a large electrolier and eight side clusters of lamps. The 
ceiling is a dome in which are set circular and semi- 
circular windows of jeweled glass, and on the outer side 
of these, therefore above the ceiling, are electric globes 
whose light penetrates into the room in countless hues of 
subdued intensity. 

On the south side of this room, opposite the entrance 
doorway, and corresponding in size therewith, is a win- 
dow of colored glass depicting the appearance of the 
Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ to the boy 
Joseph Smith. The event here delineated marked the 
ushering-in of the dispensation of the fulness of times. 

14 



194 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



The scene is laid in a grove; the celestial Personages 
are clothed in white, and appear in the attitude of instruct- 
ing the boy prophet, who kneels with uplifted face and 
outstretched arms. Beneath is inscribed the scripture 
through which Joseph was led to seek Divine instruction : 

'Tf any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that 
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it shall 
be given him." 

And below : 

"This is my beloved Son, hear Him." 

This room is reserved for the higher ordinances in the 
Priesthood relating to the exaltation of both living and 
dead. 

Dome Room: Near the landing of the granite stair- 
way in the southeast tower on the third floor, is the 
entrance to the large Dome Room, thirty-nine by forty- 
four feet. On the south side are three oval windows, and 
opposite these on the north are semi-discs of pebbled 
glass looking down into the Celestial Room and set in the 
arches thereof. In the center appears a large dome, fifty- 
one feet in circumference at its base and seven feet high. 
This is set with seventeen jeweled windovv^s and may be 
readily recognized as the ceiling of the Holy of Holies 
already described as a prominent feature of the second 
floor. In each of these windows electric bulbs are placed, 
and it is from these the room below derives its beauty of 
ceiling illumination and coloring. The walls are hung 
with portraits of Church authorities. No specific or- 
dinance work belongs to this apartment. At the north- 
west corner this room opens into a hall or corridor 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



195 



seventy-five feet long, eight feet wide throughout the first 
fifteen feet of its extent, and ten feet wide for the rest of 
its course. From this corridor rooms open on either side. 

The Elders Rooju is the first apartment on the south 
side of the corridor, west from the Dome Room. It is 
thirty-one by thirteen feet and is Hghted by one oval win- 
dow. The furniture consists of an altar for prayer, chairs 
and a table. The room is reserved for council and prayer 
by the several quorums of elders within the Salt Lake 
City stakes, each body having the right of occupancy 
within specified times. 

The Council Room of the Tzcelve Apostles lies to the 
west from the last, on the south side of the corridor. 
This is twenty-eight by twenty-nine feet, and has two 
oval windows on the south. It is furnished with twelve 
chairs of oak upholstered in leather, others chairs for 
recorders or clerks, desks, table, and altar. On the walls 
are seen portraits of latter-day Apostles now living. 
Adjoining this chamber is an ante-room fourteen by 
twenty-one feet. 

The Council Rooju of the Scz'eiity is entered from the 
corridor near its westerly termination. The room is 
twenty-eight by fourteen feet, and has one oval windoAv 
on the south side. This chamber is reserved for the use 
of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies, or more 
accurately stated, the First Council of the Seventy. It 
is furnished for its purpose with seven chairs of a kind, 
an extra chair for the recorder or clerk, a table and a 
prayer altar. 

The Couucil Room of the First Presidency and the 
Tzeeh'e Apostles is situated on the north side of the cor- 
ridor, and with its ante-room occupies the greater part 



196 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



of that side. The main apartment is forty by twenty- 
eight feet. In the center is a prayer altar of white wood 
upholstered in crimson velvet. Twelve large upholstered 
chairs of oak are arranged in three quadrants of a circle 
around the altar. The other quadrant is occupied by a 
table, behind which are three chairs of a kind for the 
three presiding high priests who constitute the First 
Presidency of the Church, and another chair for the 
Presiding Patriarch. These pieces, with desk, table, and 
chair for the use of the recorder, constitute the essential 
furniture of the room ; all additional pieces are decorative. 
The walls support several fine paintings, among which 
are two canvases depicting the descent from the cross, 
one of the burial of the crucified Christ, and others of 
scenes in the life of the Savior. Beside these there are 
original canvases showing landscape scenes of interest in 
the history of the restored Church. 

The ante-room to this chamber is sixteen by fourteen 
feet. On the north side is seen a commemorative win- 
dow of colored glass, presenting in the central panel a 
splendid picture of the finished Temple, above which 
appears the sacred inscription, ''Holiness to the Lord." 
Each of the side panels presents an escutcheon with scroll 
and inscriptions.^ 

The High Council Room: Immediately north from 
the ante-room to the chamber reserved for the First 
Presidency and the Twelve Apostles, is a room twenty- 
five by sixteen feet, allotted to the use of the Presidency 
and High Council of each of the stakes of Zion included 
within this district. The occupancy of this room is 
regulated by rule, and the presiding bodies of each of 



^ See page 137. 



THE GREAT TEMPLE INTERIOR 



197 



the stakes concerned have access thereto at appointed 
times, specifically for devotional service. In business ses- 
sion these organizations meet elsewhere, not in the Tem- 
ple. The room is furnished with the requisite number 
of chairs, a table, a desk, and an altar. 

The Main Assembly Room, which with its vestries 
and the end corridors occupies the whole of the fourth 
floor, is one hundred and twenty by eighty feet in area, 
and thirty-six feet in height. A commodious gallery ex- 
tends along both sides, and but for the space occupied by 
the stands, includes the ends. At either end of this great 
auditorium is a spacious stand, — a terraced platform, 
— a multiple series of pulpits. The two are alike as to 
finish and furniture; a description of one will serve for 
both. 

The stand comprises four terraces, the lowest of which 
is one foot above the floor, while each of the other three 
has a rise of two feet. On each of the lower three terraces 
is a settee or dais eighteen feet long; the upper terrace is 
furnished with a settee eight feet long for the seating of 
the president and his two counselors. On each terrace 
is a central lectern, with a smaller desk of corresponding 
design on either side. All the woodwork on these ter- 
raced platforms is hand carved, and is flnished in white 
and gold. 

The upper stand at either end of the room is covered 
by a canopy, supported by columns, and bearing on its 
front the designation of the order of Priesthood to which 
the end is devoted. The stand at the west end is inscribed 
"Aaronic Priesthood," and the one at the east, ''Mel- 
chisedek Priesthood." It will be remembered in connec- 
tion with the description of the Temple exterior that the 



198 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



towers at the east rise to a greater height than do those 
at the west. It is now seen that this difference is in ac- 
cordance with the graded orders of Priesthood, stationed 
within, the Higher at the east and the Lesser at the west. 

Flanking the official stands at either end of this audi- 
torium are seats for officials in the Priesthood not directly 
called to officiate in the services of the day. The gallery 
and the wings of the stands are furnished with folding 
chairs ; the seats belonging to the body of the auditorium 
are of reversible construction, so that the auditors may 
face the stand in which the Priesthood officiating on the 
occasion belongs. 

This great room is finished in white and gold. From 
the paneled ceiling large electroliers depend, and these 
with the cornice lights present a total of three hundred 
and four electric globes. In the rear of each stand are 
commodious vestries with entrances on either side. In 
each corner of this imposing auditorium, is a spiral stair- 
way leading to the gallery; the stairway is of graceful 
design with hand-carved embellishments. 

The Upper Floors: Above the level of the main 
assembly room with its accessories, there are no rooms. 
The next floor has an elevator landing at the west and 
a cross-corridor connecting the two corner towers at 
both the east and west ends of the Temple, but these are 
all. The next landing is on a level with the roof of the 
Temple, above which are only spires and finials. 

The Four Granite Stairzvays: In each of the four 
corner towers is a stairway leading from basement to 
roof, each and every step of solid granite. The stairs are 
attached to a central column of granite four feet in diam- 
eter, and everv step is set and anchored to withstand for 



THE GREAT TEMPLE— INTERIOR 



199 



ages any and all ordinary loosening by time. In each of 
these four corner stairways there are one hundred and 
seventy-seven steps, a total of seven hundred and eight in 
alL Each step is six feet long with an insert of three 
inches at either end; at the narrow end each step is five 
inches wide, and at the other end twenty inches; the 
steps present a projecting tread of one inch and a half. 
There are broad landings at convenient intervals in the 
long spiral. Each complete step weighs over seventeen 
hundred pounds, and the aggregate weight of the granite 
in the four stairways is over one and a quarter million 
pounds. On each floor is a cross corridor ten feet in 
width, running north and south, connecting the tower 
stairways. At the west end of the structure are two 
commodious elevators running in separate shafts of gran- 
ite from basement to roof. At first hydraulic elevators 
were installed, but these have been replaced by automatic 
electric lifts. 

Be it remembered that the Temple has been built not 
for the present alone. In structure it is stable and of the 
best construction skill and devotion could achieve. In the 
interior its appearance is strictly in keeping with the sta- 
bility of the walls and in harmony with the impressive and 
imposing appearance presented without. In no part is 
there evidence of hurried plan or careless execution. 
5ven the attic rooms and muniments — but seldom used — 
are well and fully finished. 

However, the Temple is not beautified throughout with 
equal elaboration. There has been no lavish nor unneces- 
sary expenditure in embellishment. The predominating 
intent has been that of appropriateness. There are many 
rooms of plain design, furnished in but simple style; 



200 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



there are others in which no effort has been spared nor 
cost considered to secure the essentials of grandeur and 
subHmity. In no part is there a hint of incomplete- 
ness; nowhere is there a suggestion of the excessively 
ornate. Every room has been planned and constructed 
for a definite purpose, and both finished and furnished in 
strict accordance therewith. Within this, the greatest 
Temple of the present dispensation, there is no mere 
display, no wasting of material, no over-ornamentation. 
The Temple has been planned and built as was believed 
to be most appropriate to 



The House of the Lord. 



CHAPTER IX 



TEMPLE BLOCK 

Marvelous as was the achievement of the people in 
rearing the great Temple, and particularly so in the com- 
mencement of the work under conditions that appeared 
so generally unfavorable, the undertaking becomes even 
more remarkable when we take into consideration other 
building-work carried on while the Temple was in course 
of erection. Not only were three other Temples begun 
and completed during this period, but meeting-houses 
vv'ere reared in all the various wards and stakes, and other 
structures of yet greater capacity were erected for assem- 
blies of the Church in general. The buildings constructed 
on Temple Block in Salt Lake City represent in and of 
themselves great undertakings when considered in the 
light of circumstances prevailing at the time. Among 
such buildings are the existing Tabernacle; the structure 
long since removed and now referred to as the Old Tab- 
ernacle, and the Assembly Hall. 

It is interesting to know that the first shelters erected 
for public gatherings within what is now Salt Lake City 
were boweries; among these the Old Bowery is distinc- 
tively named and known. On the 31st of July, 1847 — 
but one week after the arrival of the pioneers in the valley 
of the Great Salt Lake, a detachment of the Mormon 



202 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Battalion/ which had just reached the settlement, or as it 
was even then called, the city, built for the accommodation 
of worshipping assemblies a bowery of poles and brush. 
This in time was superseded by a yet larger structure of 
the kind, one hundred feet by sixty feet, which came to be 
known in local history as the Old Bowery. It consisted 
of posts set up at convenient intervals around the sides of 
a quadrangle, the tops of the posts being joined by poles 
held in place by wooden pegs or lashed in position by raw- 
hide thongs, and upon this skeleton-roof, willows, ever- 
greens, sagebrush, and other shrubs were piled, resulting 
in a covering which was a partial protection from the sun, 
though but a poor barrier against wind and rain. 

The Old Tabernacle: At first this building was known 
as the Tabernacle ; since the erection of the present build- 
ing bearing that name, the earlier structure has come to 
be known as the Old Tabernacle. It was one hundred and 
twenty-six feet in length by sixty-four feet in width, and 
occupied the site of the present Assembly Hall in the 
south-west corner of Temple Block. For its day and time 
it was a large and pretentious building. As to its seating 
capacity, we read that at the time of its dedication during 
the April conference of 1852, there were twenty-five hun- 
dred persons present at one session. Its ceiling was 

oThe Mormon Battalion was a body of five hundred men 
furnished by the migrating people on demand of the general 
government to assist in the war between the United States and 
Mexico. The Battalion was mustered into service in July, 1846, 
and formed part of the forces commanded by General Stephen 
F. Kearney. The main part of the Battalion marched from Fort 
Leavenworth to Santa Fe, and arrived in southern California 
during Janauary, 1847. A detachment from this band, comprising 
those who had become disabled while on the march, had win- 
tered at Pueblo; this body reached Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847, 
but a few days after the entrance of the Pioneers. 



TEMPLE BLOCK 



203 



arched, and was supported without pillars. Many of 
the posts and poles of the Old Bowery entered into the 
construction of the Old Tabernacle.^ 

The Tabernacle: The building now so known was 
distinctively designated the New Tabernacle at the time of 
its construction. It was begun in July, 1864, and was so 
far advanced as to permit the holding of the general con- 
ference beneath its roof in October, 1867. This remark- 
able structure was planned and erected under the direc- 
tion of President Brigham Young. For it no claim of 
architectural beauty is asserted ; the general appearance is 
that of a huge inverted bowl resting on pillars. It is in 
truth a vast elliptical dome supported at the edge by 
massive sandstone walls and buttresses. The buttresses 
measure nine feet in width or depth and three feet 
in thickness. The space between the buttresses is occu- 
pied by doors, windows, and walls; the doors open out- 
ward, thus affording ready means of exit. The building 
measures two hundred and fifty feet in length and one 
hundred and fifty feet in width at the center. The ceiling 
is seventy feet from the floor in the middle ; and from the 
ceiHng to roof the distance is ten feet. A capacious gal- 
lery, thirty feet wide, extends along the inner walls and is 
broken at the west end only, where it gives place to the 
grand organ and the seats reserved for the great choir. In 
contrast with the usual methods of construction this enor- 

^ Descriptions of the Old Tabernacle and accounts of the 
proceedings incident to its dedication and opening for public 
use appear in the "Deseret News" of that time, April, 1852. 
Reprints in part appear in the "Lattsr-day Saints' Millennial 
Star," Vol. XIV, Nos. 22 and 23, July 24th and 31st, 1852. These 
accounts comprise also synopses of the minutes of the general 
conference of the Church for that year and include the dedi- 
catory prayer. 



204 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



mous gallery is not continuous with the walls. At inter- 
vals of twelve to fifteen feet great beams connect the 
gallery with the wall buttresses, but between these beams 
the gallery is set forward two and one-half feet from the 
inside of the walls and the open spaces are guarded by a 
high railing. It is believed that the surprising acoustic 
properties of the building are due in part to this feature 
of construction ; the great dome is, in fact, a colossal whis- 
pering gallery, as the hundreds of thousands of visitors 
who have inspected the building know. When it is 
emptied save for the few, the fall of a pin dropped at the 
focal point of the ellipse near one end of the building 
may be heard at the corresponding point near the other 
end. The convenient seating capacity of the building, 
including that of the gallery, is nearly nine thousand, 
though under conditions of crowding, congregations 
much larger than this have assembled. 

At the west end are the stands including the pulpits. 
There are really three pulpits rising in tiers or terraces ; 
these afford accommodations for Church officers of dif- 
ferent grades in authority. On either side of the pulpit- 
terraces are extended platforms for other bodies of 
Priesthood. Behind the stands and pulpits, rising on 
either side to the level of the gallery and occupying the 
space in front of the great organ, is the choir space, seated 
to accommodate approximately three hundred singers, 
with extra provision in the gallery for nearly as many 
more. 

At the west end of the building is the great organ, 
generally admitted to be one of the best instruments of 
its class ever built. At the time of its construction it was 
the largest organ in this country and the second or third 



TEMPLE BLOCK 



205 



largest in the world. One of the many surprising fea- 
tures connected with the instrument lies in the fact of 
its having been constructed by local artisans; the wood- 
work, including pipe and mechanical equipment, is wholly 
of native material. The organ occupies a floor-space of 
thirty-three by thirty feet, and rises to a height of forty 
feet for the body of the organ itself, while the towers in 
front reach a height of forty-eight feet. Its stops and 
regulators number one hundred and ten; it contains 
over three thousand six hundred pipes, which range from 
half an inch to thirty-two feet in speaking length. There 
are four complete finger key-boards and one pedal sys- 
tem, making in all five individual organs. In size and 
proportions the organ comports with the great building 
in which it is installed ; while in tonal quality and mechan- 
ical equipment it is of an order of excellence correspond- 
ing to the other appointments of this splendid auditorium. 

The domed roof is constructed on the principle of lat- 
tice-work support, and is self-sustaining throughout its 
entire extent, there being no pillars between ceiling and 
floor. The roof-work is of wood, and at the time of its 
construction the beams and trusses were held together by 
wooden pegs and rawhide thongs. These materials were 
used instead of nails from necessity rather than from 
choice; nails were obtainable only as new supplies were 
brought in by prairie wagons, and the cost of the long 
haul precluded their use. While at present there are 
many larger roof-spans in the great buildings of the 
country, most of the more recent structures are of steel; 
and it is doubtful if ever there has been made a more 
stable structure of its kind consisting wholly of wood. 

The Assembly Hall: In the south-west corner of 



206 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Temple Block stands the Assembly Hall, a substantial 
structure designed for congregations of smaller size than 
those requiring the great Tabernacle auditorium. Dur- 
ing the summer of 1877 the Old Tabernacle, about which 
so many pleasant memories had clustered, was removed 
to make room for the new building. The Assembly Hall 
was begun in the year named, and, though meetings were 
held in the unfinished structure, it was not until 1882 that 
the building was ready for dedication. The edifice is one 
hundred and twenty by sixty-eight feet, including the 
extreme recesses. The walls are of granite from the 
quarries in Cottonwood canyon. 

General Service Plant: All the buildings at present 
occupying Temple Block, together with many others on 
adjoining squares, are supplied with steam, hot-water, and 
electric current for light, heat, and power, from an inde- 
pendent plant situated near the middle of the city square 
immediately west from Temple Block. From this plant 
great subterranean tunnels lead to the several buildings 
connected therewith. The main tunnel is six feet six 
inches in height, by five feet six inches in width ; through 
this run all pipes for steam and water, ammonia pipes for 
cooling purposes, and, in addition, a full equipment of 
electric conductors. The diverging branch-tunnels are 
each six feet six inches by four feet. The buildings sup- 
plied from this plant with electric light, heat, and power, 
and with steam and hot water, are the following : 

1. All the buildings on Temple Block, comprising the 
great Temple and its accessories, viz., the Annex, the 
conservatory, the gate house or porter's cottage, the 
Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, and the Bureau of Infor- 
mation. 



TEMPLE BLOCK 



207 



2. All the buildings belonging to the Latter-day 
Saints' University, comprising the Business College, Bar- 
ratt Hall, the Brigham Young Memorial Building, and 
the Lion House. 

3. The Bishop's Building, and the old Tithing Office 
or Bishop's Store House, now used for work in connection 
with the Latter-day Saints' University. 

4. The Deseret Gymnasium. 

5. The offices of the First Presidency of the Church, 
together with the official residence of the President, 
known as the Bee Hive House. These buildings are sit- 
uated at a distance of two and one-half city squares from 
the main plant. 

6. The large and famous hostelry, the Hotel Utah. 

7. The Deseret News Building and the Deseret 
News Annex. 

8. The Vermont Building. 

9. The Sharon Building, and several other smaller 
structures. 

The entire length of the tunnel system is over four- 
teen hundred feet, and the tunnels are constructed of re- 
inforced concrete with walls six inches thick. From this 
brief and partial description, it will be seen that the equip- 
ment of buildings occupying or adjoining Temple Block, 
is commensurate and adequate. 



CHAPTER X 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 

Of the sanctuaries reared by the Latter-day Saints, 
the great Temple at Salt Lake City has been the first to 
be considered specifically and in detail in these pages. 
This course has been followed because of the fact that 
among modern Temples the one at Salt Lake City is the 
largest, the costliest, and by far the most generally 
known ; and moreover, as already stated, of the four Tem- 
ples thus far erected in Utah this was the first begun and 
the last finished. While it was in course of construction 
three other Temples were proposed, planned, built, dedi- 
cated, and opened to sacred ordinance service. These are 
known from their locations as the St. George Temple, the 
Logan Temple, and the Manti Temple. The sequence in 
which they are named is the order in which they were 
completed and opened; it will be convenient to follow 
this order in further considering them. 

Each of the three is constructed on the same general 
plan, and for similar specific purposes. While they are 
of varying richness, and each is smaller and less elaborate 
than the great Temple at Salt Lake City, their appoint- 
ments and equipment are essentially the same. No 
detailed description of internal arrangements or furnish- 
ings will be attempted, as such would be little more than 
a reiteration in part of what has been said. 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



209 



THE ST. GEORGE TEMPLE 

The city of St. George, the county seat of \\'a5hington 
county, Utah, is situated near the southwesterly corner of 
the State,, about two hundred and seventy miles from Salt 
Lake City in a direct line, and three hundred and thirty 
as the road runs. Before the walls of the Temple at Salt 
Lake City had been carried above the basement story, the 
erection of a Temple in the southern part of the Territor}' 
of LTah had been fully determined. The site for the St. 
George Temple when selected by President Brigham 
Young lay in the suburbs of the city. The grounds com- 
prise an entire city block of six acres. 

On Thursday, November 9th, 1871,, President Brig- 
ham Young and his First Counselor. George A. Smith, 
together with Erastus Snow, then President of the South- 
em Mission, Joseph Young, then President of the 
St. George Stake of Zion. a goodly number of other 
bearers of the Priesthood, and the general public, dedi- 
cated the site and broke ground preparatory to laying the 
foundation of the building. After the prayer, which was 
offered by Elder George A. Smith. President Brigham 
Young addressed the people. From the report of his 
remarks the following excerpts are taken, as they furnish 
an illustration of the earnestness with which the com- 
mission to build Temples was regarded, and of the prac- 
tical nature of what the people considered to be their 
duties as members of the Church. The President urged 
a concentration of effort on the part of the people in the 
work, and continued : 

"The idea may arise that this is a hard land in which to 
get a living. Xow I am very thankful for the land just as it 

15 



210 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



is. I am glad that it is just as it is. It is a splendid country 
to rear Saints in. Among our other duties we have to build 
a temple here. I advise that the Bishop of this city, the 
Bishop of Santa Clara, and the Bishop of Washington, 
apportion labor among the members of their respective 
wards to excavate the ground for the foundation of the 
temple, and to haul rock, sand, clay and other material. If 
the brethren undertake to do this work with one heart and 
mind, we shall be blessed exceedingly, and prospered of the 
Lord in our earthly substance. Now, if the people present 
are one with the First Presidency in this work, and will unite 
with them to prosecute the labor of building this temple, by 
faith, prayers and good works, let all, brethren and sisters, 
manifest it by the uplifted hand." 

The people with one accord raised their hands. The 
official record continues as follows : 

''President Young took a shovel in his hand and said, 
pointing to the stake which had previously been driven in 
the south-east corner of the building site : 'Immediately 
under this stake and in the foundation will be placed a stone 
containing sacred records, and immediately over this stake, 
when the building is completed, will be placed another stone 
containing records of the temple.' He then said, suiting the 
action to the word : T now com.mence by moving this dirt 
in the name of Israel's God.' All the people said 'Amen.' " 

An address was delivered by Elder Erastus Snow in 
which he called to mind the promises and prophecies made 
ten years before, relative to the prosperity that would 
attend the people in the southern region, and furthermore 
he pointed out the fulfilment of many of the predictions. 
Then followed the solemn Hosanna shout. 

Work on the excavation began immediately; on the 
afternoon of the very day of dedication, plows and sera- 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



211 



pers were put in action. As announced at the time of the 
dedication of the site, the following specifications as to di- 
mensions and construction had been decided upon : 

"Outside measurement, 142 feet long by 96 feet wide, 
including the buttresses, and 80 feet high to the top of the 
parapet. It will be built of stone, plastered outside and 
inside. There will be a tower in the center of the east end, 
and on the extreme corners of the same end, right and left 
of the tower, are cylindrical staircases ; one side of the stairs 
rests in the cylinder, the other side in a newel in the center 
of the cylinder. The roof will be flat, and covered with 
roofing similar to that on the New Tabernacle in Salt Lake 
City. The building will consist of two stories and a base- 
ment. The two main rooms or halls, one over the other, 
will each be 100 feet by 80 feet. The ceiling of these will 
be arched, resting upon columns, and so constructed as to 
admit of sixteen rooms for council and other purposes in 
each of those two main stories. The height of the main 
ceiling in the centre is 27 feet ; the height of the other 
ceihngs about 9 feet. The basement will contain the font, 
and will be used for ceremonial purposes."'^ 

A record-stone was placed at the south-east corner of 
the building, and therein were deposited, on March 31, 
1873, a metallic box containing copies of the scriptures 
and other publications of the Church, together with a 
silver plate bearing the following inscription : 

"Holiness to the Lord. 
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was 
organized and established agreeable to the laws of our coun- 

« See "Dedication of St. George Temple Site," by James G. 
Bleak, Historian of Southern Mission, published in the "Latter- 
day Saints' Millennial Star," Liverpool, England, Volume 
XXXVI, No. 16, April 21, 1874. See also an earlier publication, 
in the "Star," Volume XXXIII, No. 51, Dec. 19, 1871. 



212 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



try, by the will and commandments of God, on the sixth 
of April, 1830. Which commandments were given to Joseph 
Smith, Jr., who was called of God, and ordained an Apostle 
of Jesus Christ, to be the first Elder in the Church. 

"Joseph Smith, Jr., President, with his brother Hyrum, 
Patriarch of the whole Church, suffered martyrdom in 
Carthage, Illinois, June 27th, 1844, and the Church was 
driven into the wilderness in 1846." 

Then followed the names of all the general authorities 
of the Church as at that time constituted.^ 

To the specifications given in the foregoing it is neces- 
sary to add only the following to make the description 
fairly complete. The tower is thirty-one feet square ; the 
vane on the tower is one hundred and seventy-five feet 
from the ground. The foundation of the entire basement 
story consists of a black basaltic lava, a rock occurring 
abundantly in the region and well adapted to the purpose. 
The soil of the place is sandy and heavily impregnated 
with alkaline mineral salts; and no rock that readily 
undergoes disintegration, either through abrasion or as 
the result of a solution of cementing material, is suitable 
for foundation work in this soil. The foundation of the 
building extends below the ground-level ten feet. About 
two-thirds of the east end and a portion of the northerly 
side rest on bed-rock in place; throughout the rest of its 
extent the foundation is laid on a thick layer of broken 
volcanic rock firmly compacted under the blows of a nine- 
hundred-pound pile driver. A capacious drain encircles 
the building and connects with a yet larger drain fifty feet 
easterly from the square tower. The foundation is twelve 

^ See "Deseret News," Vol. XXIII, p. 152. See also an inter- 
esting article based on information furnished by George Kirk- 
ham, Jr., "Deseret News," Vol. XXV, p. 193. 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



213 



feet wide at the bottom, and the walls are gradually 
diminished in width so that at the level of the basement 
window sills they have a thickness of three feet eight 
inches. Above the basement story the building is con- 
structed of the fine red sandstone of the region, from 
quarries specifically located and opened for this work. 
Timber and lumber had to be hauled by team from dis- 
tances of from seventy to ninety miles. 

The Temple stands in the open plain on but a slight 
elevation, practically devoid of all the prominence that 
belongs to a commanding position of altitude. The ground 
on which the building rests, as well as the region for 
miles round about, is of a prevailing dark-red color; and 
this, too, is the color of the sandstone of which the Temple 
is built. Naturally, the building as a whole would blend 
with its surroundings, so as to be practically invisible 
from even a moderate distance. A contrast has been 
afforded by whitening the walls ; and as a result the struc- 
ture has become a striking feature of the landscape. 

As to the interior it may be sufficient to say that all 
the ordinance work connected with baptism, ordination, 
endowment, and sealing, as performed in the Temple at 
Salt Lake City, is administered in a similar manner in 
this Temple, and provision therefor is made. For all the 
sacred ordinances there is ample equipment of rooms and 
furnishings. The basement floor is divided into fourteen 
rooms of which the baptistry or font-room, thirty-five by 
forty feet, is one of the largest and most important. As 
is usual, the baptistry is situated below the general level 
of the assembly rooms. Also as in the other temples, the 
baptismal font rests upon twelve oxeil of cast iron, which 
occupy a depression slightly below the floor. The font. 



214 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



oxen, iron stairs, and all accessories, weighing in all over 
eighteen thousand pounds, were cast in Salt Lake City 
and were hauled by team thence to St. George. The 
entire baptistry equipment was the personal gift of Pres- 
ident Brigham Young. 

Above the basement there are two stories. In each 
of these there is one main room ninety-nine by seventy- 
eight feet inside measurement, with an arched or ellip- 
tical ceiling twenty-seven feet from the floor in the cen- 
ter. Flanking this main apartment on either side are a 
number of smaller rooms used for ordinance work and as 
assembly rooms for councils of the Priesthood. The large 
room on the middle floor corresponds in use to the splen- 
did Celestial Room already described as a prominent fea- 
ture of the Temple at Salt Lake City. In the same way 
the large room on the upper floor corresponds to the main 
assembly room on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake City 
Temple, and is provided with pulpits at both east and 
west ends, the former devoted to the use of the Higher or 
Melchisedek Priesthood, the latter reserved for the offi- 
cials of the Lesser or Aaronic order of Priesthood. 

Adjoining the main building is an accessory structure 
known as the Annex; this is seventy-four feet long by 
twenty-four feet wide, exclusive of a ''lean-to" on the east 
side, which is forty-three feet by nine feet. The Annex 
was built in 1882. It contains boiler and engine rooms, 
apartments for the guard, a refectory for the accommo- 
dation of workers, recorder's offices, etc. 

The St. George Temple was built by free-will offer- 
ings and by appropriations from the tithings of the peo- 
ple. In one year, specifically the year 1875, over one 
hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars were ex- 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



215 



pended in the work, and the total cost of the completed 
building was considerably more than five hundred thou- 
sand dollars. The structure was practically finished by 
the close of 1876. Some parts were dedicated on Jan- 
uary 1, 1877, so as to permit of certain ordinance work to 
be done before the dedication of the building as a whole, 
which event occurred on the sixth of April following. 
At the preliminary dedicatory service, January 1, 1877, 
twelve hundred and thirty persons were in attendance. 
Music, some of w^hich had been specially composed for 
the occasion, was rendered by the choir, and dedicatory 
prayers were offered by members of the Council of the 
Twelve as follows : by Elder Wilford Woodruff in the 
basement story ; by Elder Erastus Snow in the main room 
of the story next above the basement ; by Elder Brigham 
Young, Jr., in the room designated as the sealing room. 
Addresses were delivered by Elders Erastus Snow, Wil- 
ford Woodruff, and by President Brigham Young. 

Baptisms for the dead were first administered in the 
St. George Temple on January 9, 1877; and endowments 
for the dead were begun two days later, the occasion 
being, according to the statement of Wilford Woodruff, 
''the first time endowments for the dead had been given in 
any Temple in this dispensation." 

Proceedings incident to the dedication of the Temple 
as a whole began on the 4th of April, 1877, and ter- 
minated on the sixth, the last day's assembly being held 
in connection with the annual conference of the Church, 
which conference had been appointed to be held at St. 
George, in view of the dedication. On the fourth and 
fifth of the month general assemblies were held in the 
Temple during both forenoon and afternoon, each session 



216 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



marked by the rendition of special music and by inspired 
addresses from the Church leaders. At ten in the morn- 
ing on Friday, April 6th, the general conference was 
opened in the Temple. The presiding officers of the sev- 
eral quorums occupied the stands exclusively allotted. 
There was but little in the way of special addresses, two 
days having been devoted to the work of instruction and 
preliminary preparation. The dedicatory prayer was 
offered by Daniel H. Wells, Second Counselor in the First 
Presidency of the Church.^ 

THE LOGAN TEMPLE 

Scarcely had the St. George Temple been finished and 
opened to the sacred ordinances for which it had been 
built, when another House of the Lord was begun by 
the Latter-day Saints, this at Logan in the northern 
section of the long-time Territory and present State of 
Utah. The St. George Temple was dedicated on the 6th 
of April, 1877; the Logan Temple was begun on the 19th 
of September in the same 3^ear. 

The city of Logan is the county seat of Cache county 
and the distributing center for the rich and beautiful 
Cache valley, a valley that has won for itself the disin- 
guishing name of the Granary of Utah. Logan is sixty- 
six miles on a straight line from Salt Lake City, and one 
hundred and two miles as the railway runs. The Tem- 
ples of St. George and Logan are therefore three hun- 
dred and thirty-six miles apart in a direct line. Logan is 
prominent in the valley by virtue of its commanding situ- 

For the compilation of many of the facts herein presented 
regarding the St. George Temple the writer is indebted to Elder 
David H. Cannon, President of the Temple, and his associates. 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 217 



ation; it occupies the delta and adjoining terrace built by 
the mountain stream that flowed from the canyon into old 
Lake Bonneville, and commands a view of the entire 
valley with the majestic mountain- wall in the background. 
The Temple occupies a position of prominence in the city, 
situated as it is upon one of the higher terraces locally 
known as the Bench, and visible from practically all points 
in the great valley. The grounds comprise an entire city 
block of eight acres ; and the Temple stands in the north- 
east quarter of this block. / 
The site of the Logan Temple was dedicated on May 
17, 1877, under the direction of the Presidency of the 
Church and the Council of the Twelve Apostles. There 
were in attendance the full First Presidency, composed of 
President Brigham Young and his counselors, John W. 
Young and Daniel H. Wells; also John Taylor, presi- 
dent of the Council of the Twelve, Orson Pratt and other 
members of that Council, together with a large concourse 
of people. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Elder 
Orson Pratt, after which Counselor John W. Young 
broke the ground and threw out the first spade-full of 
earth; in this ceremonial moving of the soil he was fol- 
lowed by Counselor Daniel H. Wells and President John 
Taylor. Brief addresses were delivered by President 
Brigham Young and by Elders Daniel H. W^ells and John 
Taylor. The remarks of Brigham Young, expressive of 
the purpose for which temples are built and of the un- 
selfish spirit in which the work was to be prosecuted, were 
as follows : 

"We have dedicated this spot of ground upon which we 
expect to erect a temple in which to administer the ordi- 
nances of the House of God. Into this house, when it is 



218 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



completed, we expect to enter to enjoy the blessings of the 
Priesthood and receive our anointings, our endowments and 
our sealings ; and the brethren will be sealed to brethren to 
continue the links and make perfect the chain from ourselves 
to Father Adam. This is the object of the temple which we 
are about to commence building at this place. We require 
the brethren and the sisters to go to with their might and 
erect this temple ; and from the architect to the boy who 
carries the drinking water to the men that work on the build- 
ing, we wish them to understand that wages are entirely out 
of the question. We are going to build a House for our- 
selves and we shall expect the brethren and sisters, neigh- 
borhood after neighborhood, ward after ward, to turn out 
their proportion of men to come here and labor as they shall 
be notified by the proper authorities. 

"This may be called a temporal work, but it pertains to 
the salvation of ourselves as well as our friends who have 
passed behind the veil, and also the generations who are to 
come after us. We can carry this temple forward with our 
labor without any burden to ourselves if our hearts are in 
the work and we will be blessed abundantly in doing so. 
We will be better off in our temporal affairs when it is 
completed than when we commenced, and than we would be 
if we did not build it. The time we enjoy is the Lord's, 
but we have permission to direct its use according to our 
good pleasure. When the brethren come to work on this 
temple they may expect to be blessed of the Lord according 
to their faith. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

"We pray for you continually that you may be blessed. 
I feel to bless you according to the power and keys of the 
Holy Priesthood bestowed upon me and my brethren with 
me, heart and hand, and all the Saints feel to say 'Amen.' 
Feel to bless each other, feel to do the work of the Lord 
and dismiss the narrow, contracted, covetous feelings that 
are so interwoven with the feelings of our natures. It 
seems hard to get rid of them but we must overcome them 
and unite ourselves together in the holy order of God that 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



219 



we may be Saints of the ^lost High, that our interests, our 
faith and labors may be concentrated in the salvation of the 
human family. 

''Brethren and sisters, try to realize these things. Awake 
and lay these things to heart. Seek the Lord to know His 
mind and will and when you ascertain it also to have the 
will to do it. God bless you. Amen." 

On ]\Ionday, ]\Iay 28, 1877, the work of excavation 
was begun. Workmen were supplied by wards of the 
Logan Temple District, which at that time comprised the 
Cache, Box Elder, and Bear Lake Stakes of Zion. Besides 
giving of their time and energy, — gifts known as labor 
donations, — the people contributed freely of cash, live- 
stock, merchandise, and farm produce, and their contribu- 
tions were supplemented by liberal appropriations from 
the general Church fimds. Truman O. Angell, Jr., was 
the architect. Rock-laying began on July 20, 1877, on 
what was known as the extension — a building eighty feet 
by thirty-six feet in area and twenty-three feet high, 
lying immediately north of the Temple proper and con- 
nected therewith ; this has been used since the completion 
of the Temple for engine room, office, reception, and 
assembly rooms, thus corresponding to the Annex of the 
Temple in Salt Lake City. 

On September 19, 1877, the corner stones were laid 
under the immediate direction of John Taylor, president 
of the Council of the Twelve. President Taylor laid the 
south-east corner stone and Franklin D. Richards offered 
the dedicator}^ prayer thereon. The south-west corner 
stone was laid by Edward Hunter, Presiding Bishop of 
the Church, and the dedicatory prayer thereon w^as offered 
by his counselor, Leonard W. Hardy. The north-west 
corner stone was laid by George L. Farrell, president of 



220 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



the High Priests' quorum of the Cache Stake of Zion, 
and the accompanying prayer was offered by Moses 
Thatcher, of the Council of the Twelve. The north-east 
corner stone was laid by Albert P. Rockwood, one of the 
First Council of the Seventy, and the accompanying 
prayer was offered by Horace S. Eldredge, another mem- 
ber of the First Council of the Seventy. 

The Temple as it stands is one hundred and seventy- 
one feet long, ninety-five feet wide, and eighty-six feet 
high at the square, with an octagonal tower at each corner 
one hundred feet high, and a large square tower at each 
end. The tower at the west end is one hundred and 
sixty-five feet, and that at the east one hundred and sev- 
enty feet high. In this feature of the east tower being 
higher than that at the west the Logan Temple resembles 
the greater structure at Salt Lake City. Massive but- 
tresses strengthen the walls, and the masonry is of the 
best. As to architecture, the Temple may be described as 
belong-ing to the castellated style. 

The rock used in the building was brought from the 
mountain quarries near by, and is a very hard, compact, 
dark-colored silicious limestone, locally called fucoid rock 
from its content of fossilized marine plants known as 
fucoids. A more typical limestone was used for the 
arches and for the uprights and lintels of doors and win- 
dows, this material being susceptible of a better dressed 
surface than was possible with the silicious rock. Water- 
tables, string-courses, and the caps of battlements and 
towers, consist of a light buff sandstone, brought from 
quarries near Franklin, Idaho. As the rock used in the 
walls is of diversified color the entire exterior has been 
painted in buff. 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



221 



The lumber used in the building was obtained from 
Logan canyon and was prepared at the Temple saw-mill, 
which had been specially installed for the purpose. An 
interesting sidelight is thrown on the spirit of earnestness 
with which the people went about this work of temple 
building, by the fact that even the saw-mill was ceremo- 
nially dedicated when first put in commission. All the 
lumber used was selected, and, as nearly as possible, was 
chosen so as to be free from defect. The principal vari- 
eties are red pine for the heavier work and white pine for 
such interior construction as stands and altars. The frame- 
work of the roof is of the best red pine, and is of inge- 
nious construction, spanning a distance of ninety-five feet 
without under-pinning. At first the roof was covered 
with sheet-metal, but this proved unsatisfactory because of 
leakage due to fractures resulting from variations in tem- 
perature; and the old but efficient style of shingle roof 
was finally substituted. The workmanship throughout is 
high class ; indeed it is said that after nearly thirty years 
not a door has been known to sag or a wall to crack. The 
total cost of the Temple when completed was approxi- 
mately seven hundred thousand dollars. 

The building has five full stories. The basement story 
is occupied by the font room and adjoining dressing 
rooms. In common with the practise followed in Latter- 
day Saint Temples generally, the font is supported on 
twelve oxen of cast-iron which stand in a well beneath the 
general level of the floor. From the basement level rise at 
intervals of a few feet a number of rooms used in ceremo- 
nial work. Thus, about eight feet above the basement 
floor is the room corresponding to the Lower Lecture 
Room, four feet higher one corresponding to the Garden 



222 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



Room, and five feet higher one corresponding to the 
World Room, and yet ten feet higher a room correspond- 
ing to the Upper Lecture Room or Terrestrial Room, as 
already described in connection with the Temple at Salt 
Lake City. The rest of the space in the first and second 
stories is occupied by offices for the president of the 
Temple, the recorders and other officials, library room, 
etc. The third story is occupied by what is known as 
the C Room, which corresponds to the Celestial Room 
elsewhere described. As in other Temples this is the 
most splendidly finished of all the large rooms. Con- 
necting with this room on the east side are three small 
apartments used in the sealing ordinances. 

The fourth floor is wholly occupied by the main assem- 
bly room with its vestries and ante-chambers. The assem- 
bly room itself is one hundred and four feet long by 
ninety-five feet wide, and the ceiling is thirty feet high. 
At the east is a large elevated platform with stands or 
pulpits reserved for the officers of the Melchisedek Priest- 
hood, and at the west is a corresponding platform with 
stands devoted to the officers of the Aaronic Priesthood. 
The auditorium is occupied by reversible seats, allowing 
the audience to face either way according to the nature of 
the services at any time, — whether conducted by the 
Higher or Lesser Priesthood. This room provides for 
the comfortable seating of fifteen hundred people. The 
fifth floor comprises detached rooms in the east and west 
towers. There are no rooms in the main body above 
the assembly room on the fourth floor already described. 

The Logan Temple was seven years in building. On 
May 17, 1884, the structure was dedicated to the service 
of the Lord and immediately thereafter was opened for 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



223 



sacred ordinances. The dedicatory services lasted three 
days, that is to say, services were held on each of two 
days following the official dedication, and on these later 
days the dedicatory prayer was read to the assembly. The 
ceremonies and services attending the dedication were 
held in the large assembly room on the fourth floor, and 
the seating capacity of the great auditorium was taxed to 
the utmost at every meeting. President Brigham Young 
had died before the laying of the corner-stone, and the 
building of the Temple had been prosecuted at first under 
the administration of the Council of the Twelve, which, 
on the dissolution of the First Presidency becomes the 
presiding council of the Church, and later under the direc- 
tion of the new First Presidency. On the day of the 
dedication the prayer was offered by President John Tay- 
lor, after which his Counselors, Elders George Q. Can- 
non and Joseph F. Smith, made addresses, and they were 
followed by Elders Wilford \A'oodruff and Lorenzo Snow 
of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. A brief address 
was then delivered by President John Taylor, after which 
the stirring Hosanna shout was rendered. Benediction 
was pronounced by John Smith, the Presiding Patriarch.'' 

THE MANTI TEMPLE 

Before construction work had been begun on the 
Logan Temple, preparations were in progress for the 
erection of another House of the Lord. ]\Ianti, the chief 
city of Sanpete County, situated about one hundred and 
four miles southerly from Salt Lake City in a direct line. 

For assistance in compiling data relating to the Logan Tem- 
ple the writer is indebted to the presiding officer, President Wil- 
liam Budge, and his associates. 



224 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



and one hundred and thirty miles by rail, was selected as 
the place of this new sanctuary. In a circular issued by 
the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve, 
October 25, 1876, the boundaries of the Manti Temple 
district were specified, as the following shows : 

"We feel led to say to the Latter-day Saints throughout 
these mountains, let us arise and build temples unto our God 
at such places as He shall designate, into which we and our 
children can enter and receive those blessings that He has in 
store for us. Let the Bishops of the settlements in Washing- 
tion, Kane, Iron, Piute, Beaver, Alillard, Sevier, Sanpete and 
Juab counties call the people of their wards together and 
ascertain from them how much each one is willing to do in 
labor and means, monthly, quarterly, and annually, toward 
the erection of a Temple at Manti, Sanpete County." 

Let it not be forgotten that at this time the people 
were putting forth strong efforts to complete the temple 
at St. George, and were taking preliminary steps toward 
the erection of that at Logan ; and throughout this period 
the greatest temple of all was in course of construction at 
Salt Lake City. Yet, notwithstanding the weight of these 
duties, which many would call tasks if not burdens, the 
call of authority was heard directing another great under- 
taking of the kind. 

As to the location of the precise site on which the 
Manti Temple should stand, a decision had been reached 
in a council of the authorities held at Ephraim, June 25, 
1875, and the spot known as the Manti Stone Quarry had 
been reserved for the purpose. The spot so designated is 
the termination or point of a hill, which in turn appears as 
the spur of a low range of hills, marked by the outcrop 
of a well stratified and evenly bedded deposit of oolite. 
This is a granular rock, the separate particles of which are 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



225 



minute spheroids consisting of concentric layers of cal- 
cium carbonate ; the stone appears under a lens not unlike 
fish-roe, hence the name oolite, literally meaning egg- 
stone. The selection of this spot on which to found the 
temple meant that the structure would literally be built 
upon the rock, — upon rock in place, upon an unbroken 
and undisturbed terrane. The temple was to consist of 
stone found at the spot, cut and shaped for beauty and 
service. The material is admirably adapted for the pur- 
pose ; readily quarried, easily tooled, and withal attractive 
both in texture and color. The Manti oolite is of uniform 
grain and of a fine cream color. It has been used exten- 
sively for the erection of som.e of the more pretentious 
residences in Salt Lake City and, m^oreover, is the ma- 
terial of the Annex to the Salt Lake Temple, and of the 
window-facings and other trimmings of the great gran- 
ite structure. 

The site at Manti was dedicated April 25, 1877. Li 
the presence of many of the general authorities of the 
Church and hundreds of other people. President Young, 
standing at the south-east corner of the temple lot, broke 
ground and dedicated the site by solemn service, he him- 
self offering the prayer.^ He then gave brief instructions 
as to further procedure, emphasizing the fact that the 
temple was to be built by the labor of the people and as 
a free-will offering, and that work thereon was not to 
be made a means of profit. His address, so clearly illus- 
trative of the peculiar regard with which the Latter-day 
Saints invest the great commission they hold to build 
temples unto the Lord, follows : 



» For this prayer, see "Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star," 
Vol. XXXIX, No. 24, Tune 11, 1877. 

16 



226 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



''We now call upon the people, through the several bish- 
ops who preside in this and the neighboring settlements, for 
men to come here with teams and wagons, plows and scra- 
pers, picks and shovels, to prepare this ground for the mason 
work. Let this work be commenced forthwith ; and as soon 
as possible we shall expect from 50 to 100 men every work- 
ing day throughout the season to labor here. 

''We intend building this temple for ourselves, and we 
are abundantly able to do it; therefore no man need come 
here to work expecting wages for his services. The neigh- 
boring settlements will send their men, and they can be 
changed whenever, and as often as, desirable ; and they can 
get credit on labor tithing or on donation account for their 
services, and we expect them to work until this tem.ple is 
completed without asking for wages. It is not in keeping 
with the character of Saints to make the building of temples 
a matter of merchandise. 

"We want to rear this temple with clean hands and pure 
hearts, that we, with our children, may enter into it to 
receive our washings and anointings, the keys and ordi- 
nances of the holy Priesthood, and also to officiate in the 
same for our fathers and mothers and our forefathers who 
lived and died without the gospel, that they with us may be 
made partakers of the fruits of the tree of life, and live and 
rejoice in our Father's kingdom. The gospel is free, its 
ordinances are free, and we are at liberty to rear this tem- 
ple to the name of the Lord without charging anybody for 
our services. 

"We call upon the sisters also to render what assistance 
they can in this matter. They can do a great deal by way 
of encouraging their husbands and sons, and also by making 
clothing of various kinds for them, and in otherwise pro- 
viding for them while they are working here. 

"Now, Bishops, if any person should inquire what wages 
is to be paid for work done on this temple, let the answer be, 
'Not one dime.' And when the temple is completed, we will 
work in God's holy house without inquiring what we are 
going to get, or who is going to pay us, but we will trust 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



227 



in the Lord for our reward, and he will not forget us. 'Be- 
hold the fowls of the air ( says the Savior ) for they sow not, 
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heav- 
enly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than 
they ?' 

"Let this work be commenced without delay. Building 
cannot be performed here in the winter, as in St. George. 
The rearing of this temple will have to be done in the milder 
portions of the season, when the air is free from frost. 

"God bless you. brethren and sisters ; we hope and pray 
that you will be inspired to perform this work with honor to 
yourselves and glor}- to God. This is the work of the latter 
days that we are engaged in, and this is the way that Zion is 
to be built up. We will continue our labors at home, and v/e 
will carry the gospel to all the nations of the earth, to the 
whole house of Israel, and the good work of redemption and 
salvation will continue until all is completed, and Jesus pre- 
sents the kingdom to the Father. Amen."-'" 

The beginning of excavation was marked by a further 
ceremony of prayer. We read that at 8 a. m.. April 30. 
1877. about one hundred people assembled upon the tem- 
ple site where all knelt wdiile prayer was offered, after 
which the men and horses entered upon the work of 
preparing for the foundation of the great structure. The 
peculiar location required the construction of terraces 
or other form of graded ascent leading from the level of 
the valley to the temple hill. By December, 1878, four 
terrace walls were completed in the rough, and by April 
following the excavation for the foundation was ready. 
The terrace structure has been substituted by a uniform 
slope with a retaining wall below. 

On April 14. 1879. the corner-stones were laid. Pres- 



^' "Latter-dav Saints" Millennial Star." Vol. XXXIX, Xo. 24. 
June 11, 1877, p. 373. 



228 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



ident Young, under whose direction each of the temple 
sites in Utah had been selected and work thereon begun, 
had passed from earth; and a new First Presidency had 
not been inaugurated at this time. The presiding author- 
ity in the Church was the Council of the Twelve Apostles, 
of which Council John Taylor was president. On the day 
named a large body of people assembled near the temple 
site and, forming in procession, moved to the south-east 
corner of the grounds. There, after appropriate prelim- 
inaries of singing and prayer, an address was delivered by 
Elder Erastus Snow, one of the Twelve. Wm. H. Folsom, 
the architect-in-charge, laid the south-east corner-stone, 
and Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Council of the Twelve 
offered the prayer thereon. This being regarded as the 
chief corner-stone, it was designated as the record stone. 
In a cavity previously prepared. Church publications and 
other literature were deposited and sealed up before the 
stone was officially laid. Bishop Edward Hunter, the 
Presiding Bishop of the Church, laid the south-west stone, 
and his counselor, Leonard W. Hardy, pronounced the 
prayer. Elder F. W. Cox, president of the High Priests' 
quorum of the Sanpete Stake, then laid the north-west 
stone, and Elder Canute Peterson, president of the stake, 
offered the prayer. Elder Horace S. Eldredge of the 
First Council of the Seventy, laid the north-east stone, 
and his associate in that Council, Elder John Van Cott, 
pronounced the dedicatory prayer. The services were 
witnessed by approximately four thousand people. 

From the laying of the foundation stones to the com- 
pletion of the building, the work progressed without seri- 
ous hindrance. As it stands, the structure is one hundred 
and seventy-one feet in length, and ninety-five feet in 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



229 



extreme width. From the top of the first water-table to 
the square the height of the building is seventy-nine feet; 
the water-table is three feet above the ground. The walls 
are three and a half feet thick at the base with buttresses 
four feet in thickness, and both walls and buttresses nar- 
row as they rise. At the square the walls are three feet 
and the buttresses two feet six inches. The main front 
of the building is toward the east, as is the case with all 
existing temples; nevertheless, the doorways most com- 
monly used and the entrance from the Annex are at the 
west. The foundation on the east end abuts against the 
hill ; and this end of the structure is seen in its entirety by 
those only who climb the hillside to a commanding posi- 
tion. A tower at the east rises to the height of one hun- 
dred and seventy-nine feet; the tower at the west end is 
ten feet lower. Each of these towers is thirty feet square 
at the base. The grade or ground-level surrounding the 
Temple is a little over sixty feet higher than that of the 
street at the foot of the hill on which the building stands. 
The drive-way at the east end is at the elevation of the 
short flights of steps which rise to the doorways on the 
level of the main assembly room on the top floor. 

Adjacent to the main structure and connecting there- 
with is the Annex building, one hundred feet in length, 
forty feet in width, and of but one story. In this build- 
ing is installed the apparatus for heating, and herein also 
are provided reception rooms, offices, and an assembly 
room for preliminary services. The Temple is furnished 
with its own water supply from perennial springs situated 
in the hills at a distance of a little over a mile. 

In the interior the rooms are practically counterparts 
of those already described in connection with other Tem- 



230 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



pies. The main assembly room on the upper floor has a 
seating capacity for over fifteen hundred persons. The 
estimated cost of the building as it stood ready for dedi- 
cation was one m.illion dollars. 

Dedicatory services were set for May 21, 1888. From 
accounts published at the time it is plain that the interest 
in the great event was intense. Thus we read : 

"From an early hour on the 21st of May people began to 
assemble on the hill east of the Temple, at which admission 
was to be gained, and by 9 :30 the grounds were black with 
people. The day was lovely, the threatened rain of the night 
preceding having passed away. As for two days before, all 
the roads leading to Manti were clouded with incoming 
team.s, each loaded with living freight bound for the dedi- 
cation."'^ 

President John Taylor who, as the presiding officer 
of the Council of the Twelve Apostles had directed the 
laying of the corner-stones, and who afterward became 
the President of the Church, had died in July, 1887. 
Again the Church of Jesus Christ of "Latter-day Saints 
was without an organized First Presidency of three, and 
at the time of the dedication of the Manti Temple, the 
Council of the Twelve was the presiding quorum^ of the 
Church. Wilford Woodruff was at this time the presi- 
dent of the Council of the Twelve. 

The services began at 11 a. m., by which time the 

k See "The Dedication of the Manti Temple," "Latter-day- 
Saints' Millennial Star," Vol. L, No. 25, June 18, 1888, p. 386. 

^ For this peculiar usage of the term quorum, designating- a 
council or organized body and not specifically a majority of such 
body, see "Standard Dictionary" -wherein we read under "Quo- 
rum," "Mormon Ch. A council or an organized body of the 
priesthood; as, an Elders' quorum; the quorum of the First 
Presidency." 



OTHER UTAH TEMPLES 



231 



great room was filled to its utmost capacity. The prin- 
cipal feature, of course, was the dedicatory prayer, which 
w^as offered by Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Council of 
the Twelve. Addresses were delivered by the Presiding 
Patriarch of the Church, by several of the Council of the 
Twelve Apostles, and by other prominent brethren in the 
Priesthood. On account of the large numbers desiring to 
attend, services were repeated on the two days following. 
May 22 and 23. On each of these occasions the dedi- 
catory prayer was read, hymns and anthems were ren- 
dered and addresses giA^en by speakers chosen by the pre- 
siding authorities. On the first day the actual services 
occupied five hours, and over seventeen hundred people 
attended. Many of the Saints testified to remarkable 
manifestations of Divine power which they witnessed on 
this grand and solemn occasion. 

"On the first day, just as Professor Smyth was con- 
cluding the voluntary — a selection from Mendelssohn — a 
number of the Saints in the body of the hall and some of 
the brethren in the v/est stand heard most heavenly voices 
singing. It sounded to them as angelic, and appeared to be 
behind and above them, and many turned their heads in that 
direction wondering if there was not another choir in some 
other part of the building. There was no T)ther choir, how- 
ever ^ ^ 

"Some of the Saints saw the spirits of Presidents Young 
and Taylor, J. M. Grant, and others in the Temple, and the 
heads of some of the speakers were surrounded by a halo of 
heavenly light during the services. The Saints enjoyed a 
spiritual feast extending through the three days, and many 
shed tears of joy while listening to the testimonies and 
admonitions of the servants of God. There can be no ques- 
tion but that God has accepted the Manti Temple at the 
hands of His Saints and will bless all who have in any 



232 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



degree assisted to build it, or who, not having the means to 
assist, have said in their hearts, *I would have helped if I 
could.' "''^ 

Work on the grounds has been carried on of late 
years, to the greater beautification of the site. A mag- 
nificent stairway has been constructed from the grade 
of the street to the level of the Temple threshold. This 
stairway is twenty feet in width with retaining walls on 
either side, connecting with large square pillars at each 
landing. The steps have a tread of twelve inches and a 
rise of six, and of these there are one hundred and twenty- 
five. There are nine landings between top and bottom, 
each six feet wide. The top of the stairway connects 
directly with the roadway surrounding the Temple. The 
stairway, its walls and pillars, are all constructed of 
cement; and cement walks encircle the building.'' Scat- 
tered over the lawn which occupies the slope on the west 
are attractive trees and shrubs ; each of these is planted in 
a hole excavated for the purpose in the solid rock. The 
soil for shrubs, grass, and flowers is foreign to the place. 

On May 28, 1888, the Manti Temple was opened for 
ordinance work and from that time to the present this 
work has been in progress without interruption except 
that incident to the regular recess periods each year.'' 

"Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star," Vol. L, No. 26, June 
25, 1888, p. 405. 

See illustrated description of the stairway and other ap- - 
proaches to Manti Temple published in the "Deseret Evening 
News," December 28, 1907, under the caption, "Manti Has Big- 
gest Cement Stairway in the Country." In a letter to the author, 
Lewis Anderson, the present president of the Manti Temple, 
vouches for the correctness of the data given. 

0 For assistance in compiling data regarding the Manti Tem- 
ple the writer is indebted to the presiding officer of the Temple, 
President Lewis Anderson, and his associates. 



CHAPTER XI 



CONCLUSION 

As set forth in the preceding pages, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims the need of 
Temples at the present time, reared and dedicated to the 
service of the Most High; and affirms that upon the 
Church has been placed the commission to build and main- 
tain these sanctuaries, and to administer therein the sav- 
ing and exalting ordinances of the Gospel for both living 
and dead. 

This labor has already attained a magnitude at once 
impressive and surprising. Ordinances of baptism with 
accompanying confirmation, ordination in the Priesthood, 
and sealing both in the relation of husband and wife and 
in that of parents and children, as solemnized in the Tem- 
ples of the current dispensation, already number many 
millions ; and the continuation of the work is marked by 
unabated zeal and devotion. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is given for the salvation 
of human-kind ; its requirements apply alike to the living 
whose blessed privilege it is to hear its glad tidings while 
in the flesh, and to the dead who may accept the truth 
in the spirit world. The genius of the Gospel is that of 
altruism unbounded ; its power to save extends beyond the 
portals of death. As the vicarious work for the dead can 
be done only in sanctuaries specially devoted thereto, there 
will be an ever-present need for Temples so long as there 
I are souls awaiting this ministry. 

' The present is the age of greatest import in all history, 

I 



234 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



embodying as it does the fruition of the past and the 
Hving seed of the yet greater future. The present is the 
dispensation of fulness, for which the dispensations of by- 
gone centuries have been but preHminary and preparatory. 
The saving and sanctifying labor incident to modern 
Temples surpasses that of the Temples of earlier times as 
the light of the full day exceeds the twilight of the dawn. 

The authority of administration in the Temples of 
Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod, was that of the Lesser 
or Aaronic Priesthood; for the Higher or Melchisedek 
Priesthood, otherwise known as the Holy Priesthood 
after the order of the Son of God, had been taken from 
Israel with Moses. The Temples of the present are ad- 
ministered under the greater authority. The importance 
of the distinction between these two orders of Priesthood 
may warrant a further consideration in this place. That 
the two are essentially separate and distinct is made 
plain by Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews : 

'Tf therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, 
(for under it the people received the law,) what further 
need was there that another priest should rise after the 
order of Melchisedek, and not be called after the order of 
Aaron ? 

"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of 
necessity a change also of the law."^ 

The apostle emphasizes the superiority of the Priest- 
hood named after Melchisedek by affirming that Jesus 
Christ was a High Priest of that exalted order.^ This 
Priesthood was held and exercised by the patriarchs in 

« Hebrews 7:11,12. 

^ See Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; compare Psalm 110:4; see also 
Genesis 14:19. 



CONCLUSION 



235 



turn from Adam to Moses. Aaron was ordained to the 
priest's office, as were his sons; but that Moses held su- 
perior authority is abundantly shown/ After Aaron's 
death his son Eleazar exercised the authority of High 
Priest of the Lesser Priesthood ; and even Joshua had to 
ask of him counsel and instruction."^ 

From the ministry of Moses to that of Christ the Les- 
ser Priesthood alone was operative upon the earth, except- 
ing only the instances of specially delegated authority of 
the higher order such as is manifest in the ministrations 
of certain chosen prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 
others. It is evident that these prophets, seers, and reve- 
lators, were individually and specially commissioned ; but 
it appears that they had not the authority to call and 
ordain successors, for in their time the Higher Priesthood 
was not existent on earth in an organized state with duly 
officered quorums. Not so with the Aaronic or Levitical 
Priesthood, however, for the courses or quorums of that 
order were continued until the time of Christ. The last 
to hold and exercise the authority of the Aaronic Priest- 
hood under the old or Mosaic dispensation was John the 
Baptist, who was specially commissioned. The matter is 
thus set forth in a modern revelation : 

"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel 
in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people 
that they might behold the face of God ; 

"But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his 
presence, therefore the Lord in his wrath (for his anger was 
kindled against them) swore that they should not enter into 
his rest while in the vv^ilderness, which rest is the fulness of 
his glory. 

^ Consider the Lord's rebuke to Aaron and Miriam, Num- 
bers 12:1-8. 

^See Numbers 27:18-23. 



236 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



'Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the 
Holy Priesthood also ; 

''And the Lesser Priesthood continued, which priesthood 
holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the prepar- 
atory gospel ; 

"Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of bap- 
tism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal com- 
mandments, which the Lord in his wrath, caused to continue 
with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until 
John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost 
from his mother's womb ; 

"For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, 
and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was 
eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom 
of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before 
the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of 
the Lord, in whose hand is given all power. 

The Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood was restored 
through the personal ministry of Jesus Christ, and 
remained with His apostles and in the Church under their 
administration, but was again lost as the great apostasy 
progressed. 

The Holy Priesthood in its fulness has been restored 
in the present age, — not alone the lesser functions of 
deacon, teacher, and priest, which constitute the distinctive 
offices of the Aaronic order including the Levitical, but 
the higher authority as well — that of the elder, the sev- 
enty, the patriarch, the apostle, and the high priest.^ 

^Doctrine and Covenants 84:23-28; read the preceding verses 
14-22. 

/ "The Aaronic Priesthood is named after Aaron, who was 
given to Moses as his mouthpiece, to act under his direction in 
the carrying out of God's purposes respecting Israel (Exodus 
4:14-16). For this reason, it is sometimes called the Lesser 
Priesthood; but though lesser, it is neither small nor insignifi- 
cant. While Israel journeyed in the wilderness, Aaron and his 



CONCLUSION 



237 



The Temples of today are maintained and the distinc- 
tive ordinances pertaining thereto are administered under 
the authority of the Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood, 
the greatest and highest commission ever conferred upon 
man. The Divine prediction voiced by Malachi is in 

sons were called by prophecy and set apart for the duties of the 
priest's office. (Exodus 28:1.) 

"At a subsequent period of Israel's history, the Lord chose 
the tribe of Levi to assist Aaron in the priestly functions, the 
special duties of the Levites being to keep the instruments and 
attend to the services of the tabernacle. The Levites thus chosen 
of the Lord were to take the place of the first-born throughout 
the tribes, whom the Lord had claimed for His service from the 
time of the last dread plague in Egypt, whereby the first-born in 
every Egyptian house was slain, while the eldest in every Israel- 
itish house was hallowed and spared. (Numbers 3:12-13, 39:44- 
45, 50-5L) The commission thus given to the Levites is some- 
times called the Levitical Priesthood ; (Hebrews 7 it is to be 
regarded as an appendage to the priesthood of Aaron, not com- 
prising the highest priestly powers. The Aaronic Priesthood, as 
restored to the earth in this dispensation, comprises the Levitical 
order. (Doctrine and Covenants lO?:!.") This priesthood holds 
the kej'S of the ministering of angels, and the authority to attend 
to the outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel; (Doctrine 
and Covenants 107:20.) it comprises the offices of deacon, 
teacher, and priest, with the bishopric holding the kej^s of pres- 
idency. 

"The greater or Melchisedek Priesthood is named after the 
king of Salem, a great High Priest of God; (Genesis 14:18; He- 
brews 7:1-17.) before his day it was known as 'the Holy Priest- 
hood, after the order of the Son of God, but out of respect or 
reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too 
frequent repetition of His name, they, the Church, in ancient 
days, called that Priesthood after Melchisedek.' (Doctrine and 
Covenants 107:2-4.) This priesthood holds the right of presi- 
dency in all the offices of the Church; its special functions lie 
in the administration of spiritual things: comprising as it does 
the keys of all spiritual blessings of the Church, the right 'to 
have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the gen- 
eral assembly and Church of the First Born, and to enjoy the 
communion and presence of God the_ Father, and Jesus the 
Mediator of the new covenant.' (Doctrine and Covenants 107:8, 
18-19.) The special offices of the ^Melchisedek Priesthood are 
those of apostle, patriarch or evangelist, high priest, seventy, 
and elder."— The "Articles of Faith," XI:13-15. 



238 



THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 



process of rapid fulfilment. Elijah the prophet has been 
sent to earth and he has committed to the Church that 
power and authority by which the vicarious service in 
behalf of the dead was inaugurated. Through his min- 
istration the hearts of the fathers are turning toward the 
children, and the hearts of the children toward the fath- 
ers, and this in preparation for the approaching advent of 
our Lord, the Christ.^ 



s See Malachi 4:5, 6; also pages 82-86, and 122, this book. 



PLATES 

Illustrative of Modern-Day Temples 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Note: Among the illustrations following, are several show- 
ing interior views of the Temple at Salt Lake City, specifically 
Plates 8 to 38 inclusive. Each of these pictures is protected by 
Photo Copyright, and all rights pertaining thereto are expressly 
reserved. 



Plate 1.— The Kirtland Temple 242 

Plate 2.— The Nauvoo Temple 244 

Plate 3.— The Great Temple, Salt Lake City 246 

Plate 4.— The Temple in Winter 248 

Plate 5. — Statue surmounting the Capstone of the Temple 250 

Plate 6. — One of the Doors to the Temple 252 

Plate 7.— The Temple Annex 254 

Plate 8. — Annex Assembly Room 256 

Plate 9. — Passage connecting Annex with Temple 258 

Plate 10. — Lower Corridor in Temple 260 

Plate IL— The Baptistry 262 

Plate 12. — Lower Lecture Room 264 

Plate 13. — Garden Room 266 

Plate 14.— Upper Corridor 268 

Plate 15.— Side Corridor 270 

Plate 16. — Art Window, — Expulsion from Eden 272 

Plate 17.— World Room, Looking West 274 

Plate 18. — World Room, Looking East 276 

Plate 19. — Terrestrial Room, Looking West 278 

Plate 20. — Terrestrial Room, Looking East toward the Veil 280 

Plate 21. — Celestial Room, Looking East 282 

Plate 22. — Celestial Room, Looking West toward the Veil. . 284 

Plate 23.— Sealing Room for the Dead 286 

Plate 24. — Sealing Room for the Living 288 

Plate 25. — Reception Room adjoining Sealing Room for 

the Living 290 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



241 



Plate 26.— Outer Ante-Room 292 

Plate 27.— The Holy of Holies 294 

Plate 28.— Hall-way on Third Floor 296 

Plate 29.— Elders' Room 298 

Plate 30. — Council Room of the Seventy 300 

Plate 31.— High Council Chamber 302 

Plate 32. — Council Room of the Twelve Apostles 304 

Plate 33. — Council Room of the First Presidency of the 

Church and the Twelve Apostles 306 

Plate 34.— The Memorial Window 308 

Plate 35. — Main Assembly Room, general view 310 

Plate 36. — Stand and Pulpits for Melchisedek Priesthood in 

Main Assembly Room 312 

Plate 37. — One of the Spiral Stairways in Main Assembly 

Room 314 

Plate 38. — One of the great Granite Stairways 316 

Plate 39.— Temple Block, Salt Lake City 318 

Plate 40. — The Tabernacle on Temple Block — Exterior 320 

Plate 41. — The Tabernacle — Interior 322 

Plate 42.— Statue of Joseph Smith, the Prophet 324 

Plate 43. — Statue of Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch 326 

Plate 44.— St. George Temple 328 

Plate 45.— Logan Temple 330 

Plate 46.— Manti Temple 332 



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243 




From a drawing by W. Murphy. Copyrighted and published in 1868. 

PLATE 2 



Plate 2. — The Nauvoo Temple 



This structure, built by the Latter-day Saints at Nau- 
voo, IlHnois, was the second Temple of the present dis- 
pensation. It was begun in 1841, and completed in 1846. 
In it was constructed the first Baptismal Font of mod- 
ern times for the sacred ordinance of Baptism for the 
Dead. 

Owing to religious intolerance and violent persecu- 
tion, a general exodus of the people had begun before 
the building was finished, though not before many had 
received their blessings and endowments therein. Certain 
parts of the Temple were dedicated for ordinance work 
long before the dedication of the building as a whole. 

In 1848 the Temple was partly destroyed by fire; 
and in 1850 the ruined walls were leveled by a tornado. 

See pages 126-136. 



245 



Plate 3. — The Great Temple at Salt Lake City, 

Utah 

This splendid structure was forty years in building. 
The corner stones were laid April 6, 1853 ; the capstone 
was placed in position April 6, 1892, and the completed 
Temple was dedicated April 6, 1893; each of these events 
was marked by impressive ceremony. The walls are of 
solid granite eight feet thick in the first story and six feet 
in the upper parts. IMany stones of emblematical sig- 
nificance appear representing sun, moon, stars, the earth, 
and the clouds. 

On the main inscription stone at the east we read : 
''Holiness to the Lord/' and on the keystones of the 
arched windows at both east and west ends, '7 am Alpha 
and Omega/' and above these is the awe-inspiring em- 
blem of the All-seeing Eye. 

See pages 136-180. 



247 



Plate 4. — The Great Temple in Winter 

The Temple is centrally located in the easterly half of 
Temple Block. The grounds are beautified by a profusion 
of shrubs, trees, and flowers. Many observers have voiced 
their uncertainty as to whether the Temple appears more 
beautiful when environed by the greenery of summer or 
by the white foliage of hoar-frost or snow. The scene 
herewith presented was caught by the camera in the spring 
of 1912. 



249 




After photo by C. R. Savage Co. 

PLATE 5 



Salt Lake City. 



Plate 5. — Statue Surmounting the Capstone of 
THE Great Temple 

The stonework of each of the six towers ends in a 
sphere of granite. The termination of the east center 
tower is the highest stone in the building and constitutes 
the capstone. Anchored to this granite globe is a figure 
wrought in copper over-laid with gold ; it stands over 
twelve feet high, and represents Moroni, an ancient Ne- 
phite prophet, who as a resurrected being visited the boy- 
prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1823, and afterward delivered 
to him the ancient record since published to the world as 
the Book of Mormon. The design is that of a herald with 
a trumpet at his lips. The statue is the work of C. E. 
Dallin. 

The capstone on which the statue stands is one of the 
record-stones of the Temple. In a receptacle within the 
granite mass are a number of books and other records. 

See pages 175, 176; also 151, 152. 



251 




PLATE 6 



Plate 6. — One of the Outer Doors of the Temple 

There are four outer portals leading into the Temple 
beside the entrance from the Annex. Each of these four 
doorways occupies a court between the towers. The 
doors are hung in pairs, each door twelve feet high and 
four feet wide. The woodwork is of oak, hand-carved. 
The middle and upper panels hold heavy plate glass in 
front of which are grills of bronze. Even the door-knobs 
and escutcheons are of special design, in which appear 
the bee-hife and the inscription ''Holiness to the Lord/' 
On the central side of each of the doorways is a niche 
roofed by a canopy of granite, to accommodate a statue. 

See pages 179, 180. 



253 



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257 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Josepli F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 9 



Plate 9. — Passage Coxxectixg Axxex with Temple 

A flight of stairs leads downward from the main floor 
of the Annex to this semi-subterranean passage, which 
runs southerly about ninety feet and terminates at the 
threshold of the Temple. The door opening directly into 
the lower corridor of the Temple appears in the back- 
ground. 

This is the usual avenue of entrance to the Temple. 
Only those who assemble for the council meetings of the 
Priesthood pass the outer portals into the Temple direct. 

The passage is well lighted and ventilated, and in cold 
weather comfortably warmed. A strip of the old-style 
rag carpet covers part of the floor. 

See pages 182, 183. 



259 



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Photo hy C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 14 



Plate 14. — The Upper Corridor 



The illustration presented herewith shows the Upper 
Corridor at the head of the Grand Stairway. The walls 
are hnng with portraits and paintings of scriptural scenes. 
In the back-ground, at the north end of this corridor, is 
the doorway leading into the Celestial Room, shown in 
Plates 21 and 22. A portal on the right leads into one 
of the ante-rooms (Plate 26) to the Sealing Room for 
the Living; that on the left is the entrance to a side pas- 
sage which in turn leads into the World Room (Plate 
17). 

See page 186. 



269 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 15 



Plate 15.— Side Corridor 



From a landing near the top of the Grand Stairway 
a side corridor leads to the west and opens into the 
^^^orld Room. The picture here shown was taken from 
the west end of this corridor, and the observer is there- 
fore looking east into the Upper Corridor already de- 
scribed and illustrated. The large wall painting pre- 
sents a scene from the Book of Mormon record — that of 
the Resurrected Christ ministering to the children on the 
occasion of His visit to the Nephites. (Book of Mormon, 
III Nephi 17:23, 24.) The painting is the work of Wil- 
liam Armitage. 

See page 187. 



271 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 16 



Plate 16. — Art Window, — The Expulsion from 

Eden 

The passage from the Garden Room below to the 
World Room on the next floor is by way of the Grand 
Stairway and the Side Corridor last described. On the 
south side of the passage is a splendid art window of ellip- 
tical shape depicting the expulsion of the first parents 
of the race from Eden after the Fall. It is of particular 
appropriateness in this part of the building, and im- 
presses the beholder as a symbol of the great change 
brought about by the Fall of Man. 

See page 187. 



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Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 23 



Plate 23. — The Sealing Room for the Dead 



Of the three sniaU ceremonial rooms entered from the 
Celestial Room, this, the Sealing Room for the Dead is 
reached first as one proceeds easterly from the Veil. This 
apartment is slightly raised above the floor of the large 
room, and is furnished in subdued color. At the altar in 
the fore-ground kneel the parties who appear as proxies 
for the dead. The art-window at the rear of the alcove 
represents the resurrected prophet. ]\Ioroni, in the act of 
delivering to the boy. Joseph Smith, the ancient record 
since translated by the power of God and published as 
the Book of ]\Iormon. The event here depicted occurred 
on the 22d of September. 1827. 

This room is reserved for the sacred ordinances of 
sealing in behalf of the dead, which ordinances com- 
prise the sealing of husbands and wives and of parents 
and children. 

See pages 191. 192. 



287 



Plate 24. — The Sealing Room for the Living 



The most easterly of the three small rooms adjoining 
the Celestial Room is here shown. This is the Sealing 
Room for the Living, wherein is solemnized the holy 
rite of Celestial Marriage. Marriage ceremonies for the 
period of mortal life alone are not performed within the 
Temple. The parties who come to the House of the Lord 
to be wedded by the authority of the Holy Priesthood for 
time and eternity kneel at the altar shown in this picture 
and there enter into eternal covenant with each other. 
Here, also, living children who have been born outside the 
pale of Celestial wedlock, though within the legally con- 
stituted state of matrimony, may be sealed to their parents 
provided those parents have been first sealed to each other. 

The room is finished in light tints and bright tone. 
The door in the recess affords admittance from an ante- 
room. 

See page 192. 



289 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 25 



Plate 25. — Receptiox Room Adjoixixg Sealing 
Room for the Livixg 



From the Upper Corridor, entrance to the SeaHng- 
Room for the Living is afforded through two smaU 
apartments, known as reception hahs, waiting-rooms, or 
ante-rooms. It is possible, therefore, to reach the SeaHng 
Room without entering the Celestial Room. This plate 
shows the inner of the two, with the door of the Sealing 
Room open ; through this portal the altar is revealed, as 
well as a glimpse of the Celestial Room beyond. 



See page 192. 



291 



Photo by C. R, Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 26 



Plate 26. — Outer Ante-Room 



This cozy apartment is entered from the Upper Cor- 
ridor and communicates by an inner door with the Recep- 
tion Room shown in Plate 25. Like the preceding, this 
room is used for no ceremonial rites, and is utilized solely 
as an ante-chamber for those who await admittance to 
the Sealing Room within. Through the outer door, which 
stands open in the picture, appears part of the balustrade 
of the Grand Stairway. 



See page 192. 



293 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 27 



Plate 27. — Ti-ie Holy of Holies 



This, the Holy of Hohes of the Temple, is situated 
between the two sealing rooms already described; it is 
therefore the central of the three small rooms referred 
to as opening directly into the Celestial Room. It is the 
most elaborately finished of all the smaller apartments. A 
flight of six steps leads to the elevated floor of this room, 
and the portal is guarded by a pair of sliding doors, which 
in a measure correspond to the inner veil of the ancient 
sanctuaries. 

The room is circular in form ; and on the side opposite 
from the portal is a splendid art-window, picturing the 
visitation of the Eternal Father and His Son the Christ 
to the boy-prophet Joseph Smith. The event here de- 
lineated occurred in the early spring of 1820. (See "The 
Articles of Faith," 1:12-14.) 

Beneath the pictured scene is inscribed the forceful 
admonition of James, through the study of which the 
boy, Joseph Smith, was led to seek Divine aid : 

'Tf any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that 
gi\-eth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it 
shall be given him." (James 1 :5.) 

And below appears the utterance of one of the Celestial 
Personages : 

"This is my Beloved Son; hear Him." 

See pages 192-194. 



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313 




Photo hy C. R. Savage Cn. Plio<-n Cnpyn'^ht by Joseph F. Smith, Tnictee in Trust. 

PLATE 37 



Plate 37. — Spiral Stairway ix ]\Iaix Assembly 

Room 

Access to the gallery of the ^lain Assembly Room is 
altorded by four stairways, one in each corner of the 
great hall. These four stairways are of similar design. 
Each is a graceful spiral, winding about a central post. 
This picture shows the stairway in the southwest corner 
of the ]\Iain Assembly Room. 

The picture is of interest in illustrating the fact that 
all parts of the great Temple are finished with thorough- 
ness and care. There is no neglected corner. It would 
seem, indeed, that the builders had well learned the poet'- 
lesson : 

'Tn the elder days of art 

Builders wrought with greatest care 
Each minute and unseen part : 
For the gods see everywhere." 

See page 198. 



SIB 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co. Photo Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust. 

PLATE 38 



Plate 38. — One of the Great Granite Stairways 

Each corner of the great Temple is marked by a large 
tower ; and in each of these four corner towers is a stair- 
way reaching from basement to roof, and every step is 
of solid granite. A central column of granite four feet 
in diameter supports, at the inner end, the one hundred 
and seventy-seven granite steps. Each step is six feet 
six inches long and weighs over seventeen hundred 
pounds; this amounts to over one and a quarter million 
pounds as the weight of the seven hundred and eight 
steps in the four tower stairways. 

See pages 198, 199. 



317 



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323 




Photo by C. R. Savage Co., Salt Lake City. 

PLATE 42 



Used by permission. 



Plate 42. — Statue of Joseph Smith, the Prophet 



Life-size statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith are seen on 
Temple Block. On the front tablet of the pedestal supporting 
the bronze figure of Joseph, we read: 

JOSEPH SMITH 

THE PROPHET OF THE NEW DISPENSATION OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST OUR 
LORD. HE WAS BORN AT SHARON, VERMONT, ON THE 23RD OF DECEMBER, 1805; AND 
SUFFERED MARTYRDOM FOR THE WORD OF GOD AND THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS AT 
CARTHAGE, ILLINOIS, ON THE 27tH OF JUNE, 1844. 

HIS VISION OF GOD 

I SAW TWO PERSONAGES WHOSE GLORY AND BRIGHTNESS DEFY ALL DESCRIPTION. 
ONE OF THEM SPAKE UNTO ME AND SAID: 

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM. 

I ASKED WHICH OF ALL THE SECTS WAS RIGHT AND WHICH I SHOULD JOIN. I 
WAS ANSWERED I MUST JOIN NONE OF THEM; THEY WERE ALL WRONG; THEY TEACH 
FOR DOCTRINE THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN; I RECEIVED A PROMISE THAT THE 
FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL WOULD AT SOME FUTURE TIME BE MADE KNOWN TO ME. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON 

THIS BOOK WAS REVEALED TO HIM, AND HE TRANSLATED IT BY THE GIFT AND 

POWER OF GOD. IT IS AN INSPIRED HISTORY OF ANCIENT AMERICA, AND CONTAINS 

THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL. IT IS THE AMERICAN TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND 
SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. 

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH 

JOSEPH SMITH RECEIVED DIVINE AUTHORITY THROUGH THE MINISTRATION OF 
ANGELS TO TEACH THE GOSPEL AND ADMINISTER THE ORDINANCES THEREOF. HE 
ESTABLISHED AGAIN IN THE EARTH THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, ORGANIZING IT 
BY THE WILL AND COMMANDMENT OF GOD ON THE 6tH DAY OF APRIL, 1830. 

HE ALSO RECEIVED COMMISSION TO GATHER ISRAEL AND ESTABLISH ZION ON THIS 
LAND OF AMERICA; TO ERECT TEMPLES AND PERFORM ORDINANCES THEREIN BOTH FOR 
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD; AND PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE GLORIOUS COMING OF 
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO REIGN ON EARTH. 

The tablet on the back of the pedestal bears the following 
inscription: 

TRUTH-GEMS 

FROM THE TEACHINGS OF JOSEPH SMITH 

THE GLORY OF GOD IS INTELLIGENCE. 

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A MAN TO BE SAVED IN IGNORANCE. 

WHATEVER PRINCIPLE OF INTELLIGENCE WE ATTAIN UNTO IN THIS LIFE WILL 
RISE WITH US IN THE RESURRECTION. 

THERE IS A LAW IRREVOCABLY DECREED IN HEAVEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS 
OF THIS WORLD, UPON WHICH ALL BLESSINGS ARE PREDICATED; AND WHEN WE 
OBTAIN ANY BLESSING FROM GOD IT IS BY OBEDIENCE TO THAT LAW ON WHICH IT 
IS PREDICATED. 

THIS IS THE WORK AND GLORY OF GOD: TO BRING TO PASS THE IMMORTALITY 
AND ETERNAL LIFE OF MAN. 

ADAM FELL THAT MAN MIGHT BE: AND MEN ARE THAT THE MIGHT HAVE JOY. 

THE INTELLIGENCE OF SPIRITS HAD NO BEGINNING, NEITHER WILL IT HAVE AN 
END. JESUS WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH THE FATHER: MAN WAS ALSO IN THE 
BEGINNING WITH GOD. INTELLIGENCE, OR THE LIGHT OF TRUTH, WAS NOT CREATED 
OR MADE, NEITHER INDEED CAN BE. 

THE SPIRIT AND BODY IS THE SOUL OF MAN; AND THE RESURRECTION FROM THE 
DEAD IS THE REDEMPTION OF THE SOUL. 

"it is the FIRST PRINCIPLE OF THE GOSPEL TO KNOW FOR A CERTAINTY THE 
CHARACTER OF GOD; AND TO KNOW THAT MAN, [aS MOSES], MAY CONVERSE WITH 
HIM AS ONF MAN CONVERSES WITH ANOTHER." 

325 



Plate 43 



. — Statue of Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch 



The statue of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, like that of his brother 
Joseph, the Prophet, has been moved from its first place of 
installation in the granite niche at the east Temple entrance and 
is now upon the open grounds. Both statues are set on ped- 
estals of Utah granite, which nedestals with their bases have a 
total height of four feet four inches. The figures were modeled 
b}- ]^Iahonri ^1. Young, a sculptor of Utah nativit}-. On the 
front face of the pedestal supporting the statue of the Patriarch 
is a bronze plate on which appears the following: 

HYRUM SMITH 

THE PATRIARCH AND A WITNESS OF THE BOOK OF MORMOX 

AX ELDER BROTHER AND THE STEADFAST FRIEND AND COUNSELOR OF JOSEPH 
SMITH, THE PROPHET. 

BORN AT TUNBRIDGE, VERMONT, FEBRUARY 9tH, 1800: SUFFERED MARTYRDOM 
WITH THE PROPHET AT CARTHAGE, ILLINOIS, ON THE 27tH OF JUNE, 1844. 

THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE BROTHERS HYRUM AND JOSEPH SMITH IS FOREMOST 
AMONG THE FEW GREAT FRIENDSHIPS OF THE WORLD'S HISTORY. THEIR NAMES WILL 
BE CLASSED AMONG THE MARTYRS FOR RELIGION. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON THE PLATES OF WHICH HYRUM SMITH BOTH SAW AND 

handled: THE REVELATIONS IN THE BOOK OF DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS: THE 

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY" SAINTS THESE, TO BRING THEM FORTH 

FOR THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD. COST THE BEST BLOOD OF THE 19tH CENTURY. 

"I COULD PR-\Y IN MY HEART THAT ALL MEN WERE LIKE MY BROTHER HYRUM, 
WHO POSSESSES THE MILDNESS OF A LAMB AND THE INTEGRITY OF JOB: AND, IN 
SHORT. THE MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY OF CHRIST. I LOVE HIM WITH THAT LOVE 
THAT 15 STRONGER THAN DEATH." JOSEPH SMITH. 

"if EVER THERE WAS AN EXEMPLARY, HONEST AND VIRTUOUS MAN, AN EMBODI- 
MENT OF ALL THAT IS NOBLE IN THE HUMAN FORM, HYRUM SMITH WAS THE 
REPRESINTATIVZ." PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR. 

AS HE SHARED IN THE LABORS,. SO DOES HE SHARE IN THE HONOR AND GLORY 
OF THE NEW DISPENSATION WITH HIS PROPHET BROTHER. 

IN LIFE THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED ; IN DEATH 
THEY WERE NOT SEPARATED ; IN GLORY THEY ARE ONE 



327 



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333 



INDEX. 



Aaronic Priesthood, 234, 236. 
Annex, Logan Temple, 219; 

Manti Temple, 229; St. 

George Temple, 214; Salt 

Lake Temple, 154, 181, 255- 

259. 

Ark of the Covenant, 4, 29, 40. 
Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, 
205. 

Authority to labor for the dead, 
82. 

Baptism, a Gospel requirement, 
71; for the dead, 89; of the 
Spirit, 74. 

Baptistry, Logan Temple, 221; 
Nauvoo Temple, 130; St. 
George Temple, 213; Salt 
Lake Temple, 183, 263. 

Bethel, meaning of, 1. 

Boaz, the pillar in Solomon's 
Temple, 37. 

Bowery, the Old, Salt Lake 
City, 202. 

Celestial glory, 96. 

Celestial Room, 189, 283, 285. 

Courts of Temple of Herod, 57. 

Council rooms. Salt Lake Tem- 
ple, 195, 301-307. 

Cubit, 23. 

Dead, baptism for, 89; Gospel 

preached to, 91; vicarious 

service for, 77, 82. 
Dedicatory Prayer, Salt Lake 

Temple, 161. 
Degrees of glory, 95. 
Doors, outer, Salt Lake Temple, 

179, 253. 

Earth-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 
177. 

Elders' Room, 195, 299. 
Elijah, ministry of, 82, 122. 
Endowment in modern temples, 
99. 

Exaltation and salvation, 95. 
Expulsion from Eden, art win- 
dow, 187, 273. 
Ezekiel's vision of temple, 43. 



Faith, a Gospel requirement, 66. 
Far West, temple site at, 123. 
Font, baptismal, see Baptistry. 
Garden Room, 186, 267. 
General Service Plant, Salt Lake 

City, 206. 
Glory, degrees of, 95; celestial, 

96; terrestrial, 97; telestial, 

98. 

Herod, Temple of, 11, 53. 

"Holiness to the Lord," inscrip- 
tion. 134, 136, 180. 

Holy Ghost, the gift of, 74, 93. 

Holy of Holies, in Tabernacle 
of the Congregation, 24; in 
Solomon's Temple, 36; in 
Temple of Ezekiel's vision, 
44; in Temple of Zerubbabel, 
50; in Temple at Salt Lake 
City, 192, 295. 

Holy Place, in Tabernacle of 
the Congregation, 24; in Sol- 
omon's Temple, 36; in Tem- 
ple of Ezekiel's vision, 44; 
in Temple of Zerubbabel, 50. 

Hosanna Shout, 120, 150, 210. 

Hyrum Smith, statue of, 180, 
327. 

Lidependence, temple site at, 
112. _ 

Inscription stones. Salt Lake 
Temple, 178. 

Jachin, the pillar in Solomon's 
Temple, 37. 

Joseph Smith, statue of, 180, 325. 

Kirtland Temple, 14, 114, 243. 

Lecture rooms, Salt Lake Tem- 
ple, 185, 189, 265, 279, 281. 

Levitical Priesthood, 234, 236. 

Logan Temple, 216, 331. 

Manti Temple, 223, 333. 

Marriage, ordained of God, 102; 
celestial, 101, 105; in the res- 
urrection, 107. 

Melchisedek Priesthood, 234, 
237. 

Modern temple ordinances, 89. 



336 



INDEX. 



Modern temples, 110. 
Moon-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 
177. 

Mormon Battalion, 202. 
Moroni, statue of on Salt Lake 

Temple, 176, 251. 
Most Holy Place, see Holy of 

Holies. 

Nauvoo Temple, 14, 126, 245. 

Necessity of obedience to laws 
and ordinances of the Gos- 
pel, 64. 

Need of temples, 63. 

Nephite temples, 11. 

Oracle, see Ploly of Holies. 

Ordinances in modern temples, 
89. 

Ordination and endowment, 93. 
Organ, in Salt Lake Tabernacle, 

204, 323. 
Prayer, at dedication of Salt 

Lake Temple, 161. 
Priesthood, ordination to, 93; 

authority of necessary in 

temple ministrations, 27, 103; 

Aaronic order, 236; Levitical, 

236; Melchisedek, 237. 
Quorum, distinctive use of term, 

230. 

Record stones. Salt Lake Tem- 
ple, 151, 176. 

Repentance, a Gospel require- 
ment, 66. 

Royal Porch in Temple of Her- 
od, 56. 

St. George Temple, 209,_ 329._ 
Salt Lake Temple, 15; historical 
account of, 136; early de- 
scription of, 144; laying of 
capstone, 149; dedication, 
152; exterior, 172, 247, 249; 
interior, 181, 261-315. 
Salvation and exaltation, 95, 
Sanctuaries in earlier dispensa- 
tions, 17. 
Sealing in marriage, 101, 106; of 

parents and children, 108. 
Sealing rooms, 191, 287-293. 



Smith, Hyrum; see Hyrum 
Smith. 

Smith, Joseph; see Joseph 
Smith. 

Solomon's Porch in Temple of 

Herod, 56. 
Solomon's Temple, 6, 30. 
Star-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 

178. 

Sun-stones, Salt Lake Temple, 
177. 

Tabernacles, ancient; the Pro- 
visional, 19; of the Congre- 
gation, 3, 20; the Third, 29. 

Tabernacles, modern; the Old, 
Salt Lake City, 202. At Salt 
Lake City, 203; exterior, 321; 
interior, 323; organ, 204. 

Telestial glory, 98. 

Temple Block, Salt Lake City, 
201, 319. 

Temple site at Far West, 123; at 
Independence, Mo., 112. 

Temples, ancient: of Solomon, 
6, 30; of Zerubbabel, 9, 45; of 
Herod, 11, 53; of Ezekiel's 
vision, 43; of the Nephites, 11. 

Temples of the present, 110; at 
Kirtland, Ohio, 14, 114, 243; 
at Nauvoo, 111., 14, 126, 245; 
at St. George, 209, 329; at 
Logan, 216, 331; at Manti, 
223, 333; at Salt Lake City, 
see Salt Lake Temple. 

Terrestrial glory, 97. 

Terrestrial room, 188, 279, 281. 

Testimony, The, 18. 

Veil, in Tabernacle, 24;_ in Sol- 
omon's Temple, 37; in Tem- 
ple of Herod, 59; in Salt Lake 
Temple, 189. 

Vicarious service for the dead, 
77; temples required for 
same, 86. 

World room, 187, 275, 277. 

Women, equality of, 94. 

Zerubbabel, Temple of, 9, 45. 



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